How to Train Your Dragonfly
by savvyliterate
Summary: Everything's changing. But not all change is bad. (Java Junkie AU of season 4)
1. Deep Breath

**Author's note:** This story is the sequel to "If You Want More, Then Jump," and starts the morning after that fic ends. You don't have to read all of "Jump" to follow this story. Essentially: Luke follows Lorelai and Rory to Europe in the summer of 2003 and while there, he and Lorelai begin a relationship. This is what happens when they get home.

The chapter titles in this story all come from episodes of "Doctor Who." This chapter and the next contain a bit of an homage to junienmomo's "Luke Fixed It," which handed some of the issues in early season 4 in a very good way.

* * *

 _Chapter 1: Deep Breath_

Lorelai had woken in the arms of a man before. She'd woken in the arms of _this_ man before. But as her alarm clock chirped and she batted wildly at it, the first thought she had other than "begone, you spawn of the devil" was _I've never slept in my bed in my house with a man before_.

She had tried with Max. She really, really tried. But it had failed spectacularly, and she had found herself sharing Rory's bed the rest of the night. It was one of the many signs that coalesced to make Lorelai realize that marriage to Max was wrong in every way possible. Max never felt right in this house, this little home that she and Rory had built. And Christopher … the couch was too good for him, and that's where he had stayed.

But it was far, far different now. Maybe it was because there was just as much Luke in this house as there was her and Rory. From the porch railing to the weather sealing around the bedroom window, there was something of him in every room. So it didn't seem strange at all to wake up their first day back in Stars Hollow with him wrapped around her. Sorry, staring down at her, because he was clearly awake. In more ways than one, Lorelai thought with a very feline smile, feeling him pressed against her hip.

"Hi," Lorelai said softly.

"Hi," Luke said back, burrowing his nose into the sensitive juncture between neck and shoulder.

She ran a hand through his hair. After spending an entire summer trying to get Luke a new hat and subsequently murdering each one, she had gotten used to seeing him without one. It would be strange, yet comforting, to see him back in Ol'Blue, as she mentally called the hat she'd given him several years earlier. Her thoughts derailed as he trailed his lips up her neck to her mouth. The kiss was just as languorous as her thoughts.

"There's a slight problem," Lorelai murmured as large hands swept beneath the tank she wore.

"No condoms," Luke muttered against her lips. "I already realized it. We used the last one in my wallet in Liverpool, and the rest are still in my luggage." Back at his apartment, which was doing neither of them any good.

"I'm getting that taken care of. Fast." Lorelai had let her birth control lapse in the months since her relationship with Alex fizzled out and now regretted it very, very much. "As soon as I can book an appointment with my doctor."

"There are other ways to go about doing this." He shoved back the duvet, then started kissing his way back down her body.

"I like how you think," Lorelai gasped.

* * *

Rory eyed the ceiling and the suspicious sounds coming from above her. With a grunt, she walked out of her room with a book and a wish to lose her short-term memory. Blearily, she hunted through the cabinets until she found a bag of coffee with just enough in it to make a single pot. She filled the coffeemaker and set it percolating while she opened the fridge to see if something edible existed.

"I think there's cobwebs growing in here," she muttered, shoving the door shut. She yanked open a cabinet and squinted at the can of Spam that her mother had bought on a lark sometime in 1997. They only kept it for entertainment value, leaving it out on the counter every so often so Luke would see it when he came by to repair stuff. Lorelai would make sure he spot the can, and like clockwork, he would launch into a rant about processed meat, how Spam was the worst of processed meat, and can't they get rid of it, it was 2003 for god's sake.

Grinning, Rory spotted an unopened box of Pop Tarts shoved to the very back of the cabinet. "Score!"

Rory carried them back to the table, tearing open the box as the coffee burbled away behind her. She opened the package, selected one, and took a bite as she admired the room. The kitchen was nice. Her house was nice. Europe had been nice. But there was nothing like being in her own home, where she had spent the second half of her childhood. She was leaving it again in five days, and she wanted to spend every second of that week enjoying her home, her mom, her friends and her town. As excited as she was to start Yale, even though this would always be home, part of Rory knew she would never live here full time again. That made her sad to the point where she wanted to go climb in bed with her mother. But that would be a really bad idea at the moment, given the rule she agreed to abolish hours earlier.

Rory had never seen her mother so happy as she was in those heady weeks since Rome. Despite all the potshots taken at her mother's inability to maintain a relationship longer than a few months, this felt different. No, Rory corrected, it _was_ different. Something about the relationship with Mr. Medina had sat wrong with her, even though she liked him very much, and part of her regretted that he never became her stepfather. But this? It was right in every way possible, for all three of them. Rory put the Pop-Tart down, pulled out a mug and reached for the coffee pot. She wondered what her maid of honor dress would look like and how long it would take for Luke to ask her mom to marry him. She made a mental note to get with Lane and start the betting pool ahead of the rest of the town.

The back door burst open and Rory leaped, coffee splashing over the rim of the mug. She spun around to see Babette rush into the house, Morey at her heels.

"Oh my God, you're back! Morey, they're back! Are you hurt? Are you bleeding?" Babette asked in a rush, grabbing Rory's arms.

"No?" Rory asked, confused. Morey gave her a silent nod and disappeared out the back door.

"What the hell happened to you?" Babette crushed Rory to her in a hug that caused more coffee to slosh out of the mug. "Your itinerary said you were supposed to be home on Saturday, so when you didn't show up, we panicked! I thought you'd been kidnapped by some crazy Sandinistas or something!"

"No, no," Rory reassured her, hastily putting the mug aside before the rest could be sacrificed to the kitchen floor. "We all wanted to fly home together, but the flight was full, so Mom and I had to rebook and the next flight out with three seats together wasn't until Sunday morning. Then it got delayed, and we got stuck in customs for awhile in Hartford. Oh, Babette, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to make you worry."

"Well, I was a complete basket case. I finally just started calling consulates."

Rory blinked. "Consulates? How many consulates?"

"Ah, jeez, all of 'em."

"All of them," Rory repeated faintly.

"Where's your mom? Still asleep?"

"Something like that," Rory managed, casting a glance at the stairs just as she saw a familiar pair of boots appear.

"So, tell me about Europe!" Babette said as Rory started making furtive gestures at the stairs.

"Let me get you some coffee," Rory said hastily, putting herself between the stairs and Babette's line of sight just as Luke caught sight of her. Rory gestured him back up the stairs, and thankfully someone in this house had sense, because he immediately did just that. Sighing with relief, she grabbed another coffee cup for Babette.

* * *

You couldn't pay Lorelai enough to go through the mass of laundry that composed the bulk of her backpack. She warily eyed the evil, evil piece of luggage and wondered if she could pay someone to haul it down to the washing machine. She tried her very best to convince Luke to do it, but he caught onto her pleas and told her that she had been doing her own laundry for years, and he wasn't about to take that pleasure away from her.

She turned instead to her closet and the rack of work clothes that awaited her. Work clothes, she realized, she'd barely touched since the Independence Inn closed its doors. She fingered the long sleeve of a silk blouse, melancholy pricking at her. She had been careful to disguise her feelings of the loss of her very first home, especially during the Europe trip. She and Sookie had gotten the Dragonfly, and there was a meeting at the bank to go over the loans later in the week. Life went on, but part of her still wasn't ready to let go of what was.

The sound of the bedroom door opening broke Lorelai out of her thoughts, and she raised an eyebrow in surprise as Luke creeped back in and carefully closed it behind him. Either he never made it out of the house or that was the fastest condom run ever. "You're back!"

He sheepishly ran a hand through his hair. "Um … Babette's downstairs."

Lorelai winced. "Oh no. With Rory?"

"Yeah." Luke leaned against the closed door as Lorelai turned back to the jumbled mess of clothes strewn around the room. "I'm sure the town knows, Lorelai."

"I know they know, but I don't feel like being the main headline of _Entertainment Tonight_ when we've barely been back on terra firma for 12 hours. We're already gonna be the next Bennifer-"

"Who?"

"Oh, honey, read this." Lorelai scooped up an old copy _US Weekly_ sitting on the dresser and handed it to him. "Anyhow, I'd like to at least keep this to us for let's say … until we go to the diner and you can cook us breakfast?"

"Clearly that's why you keep me around." Luke frowned at the gossip rag.

"Have you checked my refrigerator? There's cobwebs in there that would put Charlotte's Web to shame."

"And this is different from normal how?" He waved the magazine at her. "I'm not gonna read about someone named Bennifer."

Lorelai spotted a shirt she was fairly sure was clean and lunged for it. Moving to her lingerie drawer, she pulled it open to reveal the only things clean were her date undies. Well, considering her audience … she stripped off her night clothes. "People. Ben Afflick and Jennifer Lopez."

"Who?" She could all but feel the Luke's gaze on her naked rear, and she gave it a bit of a wiggle for extra emphasis as she stepped into the thong.

" _Armaggedon? Shakespeare in Love? The Wedding Planner? Maid in Manhattan?_ " Lorelai hitched her jeans over her hips before reaching for the shirt.

"Lorelai." His voice was strangled, and she couldn't quite decide if it was because she was annoying the hell out of him or if she had succeeded in her quest to frustrate him in other areas. She decided it was a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B. That's what he got for forgetting condoms.

"I forget who I'm talking with. We have got to do something about your movie education. Clearly I just keep you around for the sex." Lorelai snagged a hairband and scooped her curls into a ponytail.

"I would hope not just that."

"Oh, and breakfast!"

"Olly olly oxen free!" Rory yelled up the stairs, and Luke opened the door again. Lorelai dashed past him and down the stairs. She needed to make sure Rory didn't find her secret stash of Pop Tarts.

* * *

Luke's mind was full of lists when he walked through the storeroom and into the main sitting area of the diner after changing into clean clothes and fetching what Lorelai had dubbed his "proper" hat for the first time in weeks.

While he hadn't planning on reopening for at least another couple of days, he needed to start contacting suppliers. Then there were the books, and he thought he might actually have the brain cells to handle them now. He stopped long enough in the apartment to scoop up the ledgers, then shot a glare at his bed. Right, order a new bed. He was halfway down the stairs before changing his mind. No, he would actually go shopping with Lorelai for the bed. They had a mile-long list of stuff to get for Rory before she left for Yale, and he knew enough about women to go with his gut on this one. Get whatever bed Lorelai picks. Got it.

Luke tossed the ledger on the counter and swung into the kitchen, hoping there was at least some juice there. Finding still-good orange juice, he poured some in a glass and walked back to the counter. He flipped open the ledger and sipped while he glanced over the numbers. Business had been brisk while he was gone, and he was pleased that things could run smoothly without him. He definitely needed to give Caesar more responsibility. Maybe it was time to actually give himself at least one day off a week.

He grabbed a pencil from the can next to the register and began jotting down notes. Glancing around, Luke did a quick inventory. A couple of the chair cushions looked a bit worn, and now was a good chance to go tightening the bolts on all the tables. He probably should get some window cleaner for that plate-glass window that looked directly into Taylor's new soda shoppe. With an e, he thought with a sneer as he grabbed his list and headed for the storeroom.

Less than 10 seconds later, Luke stormed out of the storeroom and to the plate-glass window that most certainly had _not_ been there when he left on his trip in June. He rapped the glass. OK, it wasn't a hallucination conjured by his jetlag-fogged mind. Snarling, he marched across the diner and yanked the phone off the hook.

"Hello, is this Lisbon?"

"I'm going to kill him," Luke barked, not realizing that Rory had picked up.

"Oh, hi Luke. Hang on. Mom, it's for you!"

"Lisbon?" He heard Lorelai in the background.

"No, Luke!"

"I'd rather take him than Lisbon." Lorelai took the phone. "Yes, I know that's dirty. Let me tell you about my morning."

"Taylor put a giant window in my wall!" Luke exploded.

There was dead silence on the other end of the line for all of three seconds. "I'm sorry, what?"

"My wall is _gone_. I can see his whole stupid store, Lorelai! I'm going to kill him, I swear, I mean it this time!"

"OK, OK, hang on. No committing homicide if I don't get to witness it."

"You have 10 minutes before I unleash the Spanish Inquisition."

Lorelai rushed in at seven minutes, and only because she ran from the house. She hunched over, breathing hard as she caught her breath. When the world stopped spinning, she looked up. It was exactly what Luke had said - a plate-glass window looking into Taylor's new soda shop. With an e, she reminded herself as she peered through. "This definitely wasn't here in June," she said, turning back to a stony-faced Luke, who was leaning against the counter.

"I'm willing to bet that it wasn't here _last_ week ago. Because if Taylor had come cutting holes in the diner while Caesar was here, I'd have heard about it. I'm gonna kill him, Lorelai. I should've killed him when he put up those unicorn topiaries in the park, but, hey, hindsight."

"You can't kill him, babe, we need you to help move Rory in her dorm next week, and I prefer not being restricted to conjugal visits."

Luke cast his gaze to the ceiling, mildly surprised Taylor hadn't done anything with it either. "I can make his life a living hell."

"Only if I can watch."

"Front-row seats, Lorelai, and I won't even complain about the popcorn."

"See, this is why I love you." She leaned on the counter next to him, and the words did a lot to prick a hole in his annoyance. Her second declaration in less than 24 hours. He didn't think he'd ever get used to it.. "He probably violated his lease, you know."

"Remember who his lawyer is," Luke sighed, and Lorelai flinched.

"OK, not good," she agreed. "By the way, when you're not planning to have Taylor headline the next season of Unsolved Mysteries, we could use your help calling Europe."

He frowned at her. "Because we didn't spend enough time there?"

"It's either that, or you'll be fielding phone calls from various embassies for the next day or two." Lorelai hastily filled him in on what Babette had done in the name of friendship and paranoia.

Luke groaned. "And that's why there were 56 messages on my answering machine."

"Bingo. Look, we'll split the rest in half. I'll take Austria through Lichenstein, you can get started with Monaco."

"You don't think I could convince the government to deport Taylor to one of those countries?"

Lorelai playfully swatted his arm. "What did Monaco ever do to you?"

"I can't stand this, Lorelai." Luke gestured at the window. "Look at my wall! And where's all my stuff?"

"The dancing pork chop," Lorelai said sadly.

"That's my dad's stuff," he continued, and with those words, what remaining rage-fueled energy he had hoarded like liquid gold drained out of him. The only thing he could see was his father wandering among the shelves in the hardware store, arranging items on the wall, hanging that damn pork chop that had been a joke gift from his old friend, Buddy. Luke had been on the cusp of getting rid of it himself when Lorelai had taken a delight in it, so of course he kept it. "I can't replace it," he said quietly.

"He wouldn't just toss everything in the dumpster … would he?"

Luke glanced at the calendar he kept just off to the side of the register. "Today's …" He suddenly sprinted into the back, and she followed out the door until they were at the dumpster. He pushed the small door open to reveal a jumbled pile of assorted stuff that once adorned the diner walls, the dancing pork chop sitting forlornly on top.

"At least they hadn't hauled off everything to the dump yet," Lorelai pointed out and bent over to untie her shoes.

"No, that would be the bigger nightmare version of this story. What are you doing?"

"Boost me in, and I can toss stuff out to you." Lorelai toed her sneakers off and bounced on the balls of her feet.

"It doesn't matter." He closed the side door of the dumpster and headed back into the diner, shoulders slumped.

Yes it does, Lorelai thought, and wrenched it back open. She located an old milk crate and used it to boost herself until she could reach into the dumpster. She snagged the dancing pork chop and looked over the remaining debris. There really wasn't much to be salvaged, and her heart ached. She thought of the fire at the Independence Inn and how it had changed things. Even if they rebuilt the wall and hung new shelves, it wouldn't be the same. Luke hadn't been ready to give up these parts of his father, and damn it, Taylor wasn't allowed to make that decision for him. She slammed the dumpster shut, shoved her feet back into her shoes, and stormed up the alley to the street.

Taylor had just disappeared into the soda shoppe, and Lorelai slammed the door open as she followed him inside.

"Ah, Lorelai, welcome back," Taylor said jovially as he moved behind the register. "Look, there's a town meeting on Tuesday, I really suggest you and Luke-"

"How could you do it, Taylor?" Lorelai talked over him, gesturing to the window. "How could you go behind Luke's back and install this!"

"It's good business, Lorelai. People can watch the ambiance of the diner from the soda shoppe, and people in there can watch the bucolic scene here and be tempted by tasty desserts, thus encouraging patronage of both establishments. Speaking of that, I simply must introduce you our Ice Cream Queen. I suspect you're quite familiar with her."

Lorelai placed fisted hands on her hips and truly understood for the first time why Luke was so tempted to be violent with Taylor. "Taylor, those things belonged to Luke! And his dad! You nearly destroyed the dancing pork chop!"

"Times change, Lorelai, and Lucas has been slow to change along with them," Taylor said, addressing her as he would a child. "A good bit of nostalgia is healthy and all, but we have a reputation at stake. I checked my lease, and I am within my right as a tenant to make cosmetic improvements to the property at my expense."

"That doesn't include destroying a shared wall! Did you even check with your lawyer?"

"Ms. Leahy agreed that this improvement doesn't violate my lease."

Lorelai very nearly succeeded in biting back a sigh. "Oh. Unbiased opinion there, huh?"

"Personal matters between Luke and my lawyer do not concern me, and they shouldn't you. Except they do, don't they?" Taylor winged an eyebrow and moved behind the counter. "Now, about that town meeting …"

"We'll be there," Lorelai snapped and stormed out of the soda shoppe and back into the diner, where Luke had resumed his position at the counter, his back to the window. She jabbed a finger at the hated piece of glass. "Mr. Gorbachev, build up that wall!"

For the first time since he walked into the diner that morning, Luke managed a half-smile. "Already called Tom."

* * *

Rory wasn't sure how they were going to get everything done by Saturday, but she was relatively sure that they could cram most everything in. But nothing was going to stop her trip to Lane's.

Scooping up the latest issue of the Stars Hollow Gazette, she perused the paper while walking through the town square. She grinned when she saw a new column had been added, made up of the postcards she and her mom had sent members of the town during the trip. She needed to grab a few more copies. She reached the end and laughed at the poor attempt to include Luke's far more laconic entries. They could never quite get him to loosen up, though Rory kept making him send them out.

She flipped to the back, where the wedding and engagement announcements were, and her heart nearly stopped when she saw the large photo that took up half the back page.

 _"… have announced that they have set an October 11 date for the marriage of their daughter, Lindsay Ann, to Dean Forester …"_

She furiously blinked and notice a couple drops of water on the page. She glanced up, saw the sky was clear and blue. Then, she realized it was _her_. Mortified, she looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. She could barely hear Miss Patty's instructions to her dance class, and everyone else seemed caught up in their own business. She hugged the newspaper to herself, careful to keep the photo from facing out.

"This isn't what you wanted," Rory told herself, rocking back and forth. "You're doing what you want."

She pivoted. There was no way she was going to Lane's now. She walked blindly in the direction of the diner, figuring her mother was still there after she rushed out of the house earlier. She needed home. She needed her mom. Why did everything have to change all at once?

Then she saw the Ice Cream Queen poster.

Twenty minutes later, Rory stumbled into the diner, still reeling from her fight with Taylor. She _never_ fought with Taylor. Fighting with Taylor was something Luke did, or her mom. Well, her mom's fights with Taylor ran more toward extreme snark with an accidental spitball in the eye. On any other day, she could cheerfully grouse about it, about how she had attained a rite of passage. But now this change was just another change on top of yet another change, and the world was starting to spin too fast. She ached to go back just a few weeks ago, when her biggest worries centered around the intricate differences between the US and UK versions of Harry Potter.

Rory stared at the counter, at one of the only people in her life she felt was absolutely safe at the moment, and dissolved into tears.

"Where's Mom?" Rory sobbed as Luke gaped in shock at her. "I need Mom."

"She went to Sookie's," he explained, dropping the pencil he held. Rory hugged herself, rocking back and forth as Luke looked around in a panic, as if expecting her mother to materialize out of thin air. When that failed, he awkwardly put an arm around Rory's shoulders and led her toward the curtain.

"Why is there a window in the diner?" Rory asked through her tears. The glimpse of the soda shoppe through the glass pane added to her misery.

"I'm still trying to figure that one out myself." Luke led her up the stairs and into his apartment. Glancing around, he snagged the afghan off the back of the sofa and placed it around Rory's shoulders. "Right, um. Tea? Kleenex? Your mom?"

Luke's awkwardness was so endearing that Rory managed a smile. "Yes, please."

* * *

Lorelai figured it was her day of sprinting across town to the diner. This time, she headed upstairs into the apartment to see Rory curled on the sofa, a mug in her hands. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but she was no longer crying. Luke sat in his armchair, looking both terrified and worried. For all the time he spent with them during the summer, an teenage girl in tears was still beyond his capacity.

Lorelai helped herself to Rory's mug, took a sip, then nearly spat it out. "Traitor!" she accused Luke. "You gave my child tea!"

"He offered, Mom," Rory said, taking the mug back. "I like it. Chamomile with lavender. Could I have some for school?"

"Sure," Luke said.

Lorelai squeezed in next to Rory, taking some of the afghan for herself. It was far too hot for any sort of blanket, but it smelled like Luke and felt like she was being wrapped in a hug. A somewhat scratchy hug, as it was acrylic yarn.

He looked at her, then at Rory, then got to his feet. "I can um … The books," he stammered, gesturing at the door.

"You can stay," Rory offered.

"But-"

"Taylor has posters of me up all over town proclaiming I'm the Ice Cream Queen.," Rory blurted.

"Right." Luke sat back down.

"Staying, babe?" Lorelai asked.

"It's either stay or go punch that window."

"It's not worth the emergency rom visit," Rory said.

"So, is there anyone in this room not supremely pissed off with Taylor at the moment?" Lorelai looked from a visibly fuming Luke to a pale Rory then back again. "I take it as a no."

As they walked back to the Crap Shack together under an hour later, Rory quietly told Lorelai about the wedding announcement.

"They're getting married in October, in about six weeks. I mean, I knew they were engaged. Dean told me back in May, so I shouldn't be so surprised about it, but … I didn't think it was real. Dean said she was amazing, but why would you get married at _eighteen_?"

"Ahem," Lorelai coughed.

"You didn't marry Dad," Rory pointed out.

"I'm just saying, when you marry that young, sex is usually involved. We can safely bet Lindsay's not pregnant, because I'm sure Miss Patty would have telegrammed that one to us. So …" Lorelai's voice trailed off as she waggled her eyebrows.

Rory shuddered. "Because of _sex_? _Really?_ "

Now Lorelai winged those eyebrows at Rory.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm sure sex is great. I mean, the stuff leading up to it's pretty terrific, and I'll just take you at your word on the rest, but how can you be married and in college at the same time?"

"Lots of people do it, kid."

"Dean has such a bright future ahead of him," Rory sighed.

"Didn't we have this same conversation in May?" Lorelai wondered.

"I'm sure we did," Rory replied. "And that's another thing, they already had the big engagement article back then. Do they need to remind the town every month that they're getting married? Are they installing a giant countdown board on the town square?"

"Taylor wouldn't allow it." Lorelai swung an arm around her shoulder.

Rory leaned into her. "I want Dean to be happy, Mom. Why am I so upset? I'm going to Yale on Saturday. You and Luke are together, and that makes me happy. I have a new car, I just got back from Europe. I have everything I've ever wanted. Why am I sad?"

"Because it means the world moved on while we were away." Lorelai thought of the missing wall in the diner. "And sometimes, you're not prepared for how fast it's going."

* * *

When he walked the Crap Shack that night, Luke passed Rory carrying an overnight bag.

"Spending the night at Lane's," she explained. "Didn't get a chance to stop by earlier. We're getting all the junk food we can for $20 and spending the evening watching _MST3K_ when her mom's not paying attention. Mom's already upstairs. She's pretty wiped and took a couple Tylenol PM. She left the bottle out for you in case you happened to stop by."

He meandered around the first floor, locking the doors and making sure the windows were secure. A peek in the refrigerator revealed that nothing had been done about the lack of groceries. For obvious reasons, none of them felt like making the trip to Doose's. He finally headed upstairs to find Lorelai nestled in the middle of her bed, her sleep fueled with jetlag, exhaustion, and Tylenol PM. The entire combo meant that she snored.

Everything had changed over the summer, but standing there watching her sleep, Luke was struck by just how much had happened all at once. Gut churning, he pivoted and descended the stairs. His boots were on and he was halfway out the door when he realized that he couldn't go home either. It was the whole reason why he was at Lorelai's. Just knowing that window was there pissed him off to no end, and he wasn't ready to face that either. Tom promised he would get in as soon as possible, but until then, he was stuck looking into Taylor's demented take on Mary Poppins. There was two hours of his childhood he'd never get back.

With a groan, Luke took the boots back off and sank onto the couch. Whatever bubble they existed in during the trip had well and throughly popped. He tilted his head back and watched the shadows play across the ceiling. He was asleep within a couple of minutes.

He dreamed of his father.

It was still dark when he came to, and he had shifted in his sleep until he was stretched out on the sofa. He rubbed the back of his neck and levered himself onto his elbows. Lorelai sat on the coffee table, a glass of water in her hands as she watched him.

"Running away to your man cave?" she said lightly. "I figured it's the only reason why you wouldn't take advantage of Rory being at Lane's tonight."

"Didn't get very far," Luke admitted.

Lorelai made a noncommittal sound and sipped at the water. "So, going to tell me what's going on in that head of yours, or are you just going to make a series of caveman grunts?"

Her words pricked at his temper. "I don't want to talk."

"Your voice and your actions say two entirely different things." Lorelai gestured to the living room. "You are in the Gilmore living room, the only place on this planet people are more verbose than Dr. Phil's couch. If you didn't want someone to be concerned about you, you wouldn't be here. Since you've taken a vow of silence, I can be your Bob Hartley and just talk until the words somehow make sense."

"Lorelai," Luke sighed.

She leaned forward to rub his knee. "I know. The wall. You hate change."

"Not all change is bad," he conceded.

"But a lot's happened at once, hasn't it? We've been gone so long that we forgot that reality's a lot different. Kind of like being trapped on _Survivor_ then getting shoved back into your Wal-Mart job after the 39 days are up." Lorelai's gaze dropped to her hand, where it lingered on his knee. "This is the part where I should be magnanimous and say we can go back to how things were before the trip, but I'm really selfish. But if it's too much …"

"Not all change is bad," Luke repeated, enunciating every word so forcefully that her eyes snapped up to meet his. "It's different when you have a say in it."

"Yeah." Lorelai sighed and squeezed his leg. "My baby's leaving for college on Saturday."

Guilt coiled in Luke's stomach. He had been so caught up in his own troubles that he forgot that Lorelai was now in the home stretch of saying good-bye to her little girl as she went off to college. She had just lost the Independence Inn. She and Sookie would be breaking ground at the Dragonfly soon. He needed to be her rock, but instead, she was holding both him and Rory up as change after change slammed into them. "Lots of changes for you too," he said gently, covering the hand that rested on his knee with his own.

"Still not all bad," Lorelai admitted.

"No."

Luke tugged her into his arms and rested his chin on top of her head after Lorelai reached over to put her glass on the coffee table. If he had gone on the cruise with Nicole, he would had been in the diner to stop Taylor from his craziness. But instead, he had been with Lorelai. If dealing with a plate-glass window in the diner was his price to pay to be with Lorelai, then he could put up with it. His dad would understand.

Lorelai pushed herself up until she could look down into his face. "Hey."

"Hmmm?" He pushed her hair out of her eyes.

"It's still early and Rory's over at Lane's until lunch. Wanna christen the living room floor?"

Luke chuckled. "You just don't feel like moving to the bed."

"Bingo." She kissed him until neither of them could breathe.

"Lorelai?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm still bricking up that window."

"Not arguing there. Now, strip."


	2. Gridlock

**Author's note:** I took a little liberty with Trader Joe's offerings in 2003. Besides, cookie butter amiright? The flower bouquet is inspired by a post that went viral on Tumblr. Many thanks goes to DSLeo for the ideas about what to do with the bloody window.

* * *

 _Chapter 2: Gridlock_

There was a bit of an art in testing a mattress properly. You had to think of everything that could potentially take place upon that expansive surface of padding and coils. First and foremost, there was sleep. Lots and lots of lovely sleep. Then there was snuggling with your favorite daughter, watching TV on lazy weekend mornings, hiding away from the world when you were sick, and lots and lots of intimacy with the guy you're madly in love with. Granted, this wasn't her mattress Lorelai was testing, but most of the same rules still applied since she planned to get considerable use out of it.

Lorelai turned her head to look at her guy, little butterflies dancing with excitement in her stomach. "So … how is it?"

"It's all right."

Lorelai lifted her head from the pillow. "Just all right?"

Laying next to her, Luke shrugged. "It's a mattress."

She let her head hit the pillow and huffed. "It isn't _just_ a mattress. It's a once-in-a-decade purchase, or in your case, once per millennium. You have to get everything about it absolutely right, and there's no takebacks once you've broken it in."

"Actually, there's a 3-month warranty."

"Would you want to give a bed back after you've slept on it? After you've had _sex_ on it, as well as …"

"And I'm done." Luke rolled off the test mattress and glared down at her, hands on his hips. "Lorelai, this is the 50th mattress we tested …"

"Not hardly." Lorelai folded her hands over her stomach and closed her eyes. "I do like this one."

"Lorelai."

"It's pretty springy." She gave a bounce. "Springy, but with good lumbar support. Face it, if you'd come alone, you'd have just looked around and pointed to a mattress, then we'd spend the next 10 years sleeping on a bed that would make Fred Flintstone's look like a soft cloud. You wouldn't even test it out!"

"Why would I want to lay down on these microbe-infested test mattresses? Who knows what people do on these things when they test them out." He swept his hand out to indicate the other mattresses in the store as he ranted. " _Consumer Reports_ exists for a reason, Lorelai! It's how I decided on Jess' bed. No complaints!"

"You were testing out a mattress just now," she pointed out.

"Only because you went, 'Luke, you've got to try this mattress' and yanked me by the back of the shirt until I did so."

Lorelai ignored him at this point and lifted her head off the pillow again. "Speaking of microbes … hey, kid, how's your end going?"

Across the store, Rory reclined on a twin mattress. She flipped onto her stomach, then to her back, and gave a thumbs up. "Comfortable, and big enough to accommodate textbook sprawl."

"And Mommy's pocketbook?"

"Mommy's pocketbook will be pleased."

Satisfied, Lorelai settled back on her mattress. "I think you should take this one."

Luke threw his hands in the air. "Fine. Done."

She frowned and glanced at a mattress a couple of test beds down. "Though the pillowtop down there is very tempting …"

"Nope. Springy. Lumbar support. On the _Consumer Reports_ recommended list. Done. Up." Luke tugged at her arm.

"Mean," Lorelai grumbled, letting him pull her to her feet. "Maybe I should get a new mattress."

"You got a new mattress two years ago. I know this, because I'm the one who had to help haul it up the stairs after Kirk sprained his ankle."

"Yeah, poor Kirk. He had to strike mattress deliveryman off his job list after that."

"You're gonna be buying what … 12-15 mattresses for the Dragonfly in the next year? That should satisfy your pillowtop cravings."

"True." Lorelai fingered the tag of another mattress. "Say, you know …"

"Nope. Step away from the bed."

"That's not what you were saying last night," she teased as Luke all but pushed her toward the register.

* * *

"I can't remember the last time we didn't do the grocery shopping at Doose's," Rory said as they loaded groceries in the back of the Jeep. "I also can't believe we have never shopped at Trader Joe's. We should boycott Taylor's more often." She pulled a jar of cookie butter out of one of the bags. "I'm going to marry you," she informed it.

"Sorry, mine." Lorelai snagged the jar.

"Get your own! There's another three jars in there!" Rory stole it back, then kept riffling through the grocery bags. "I thought we got two things of the chocolate orange strips?" She narrowed her eyes at her mother. "OK, empty your purse."

Lorelai hugged her purse protectively to her chest. "Are you implying that I stole food from you?"

"No, I'm outright accusing you of sneaking food into your purse as they were packing up the bags so I don't notice. Gimme!"

"Back off, or I'll …" Lorelai's hand dipped in one of the bags and she snagged a large plastic container. She thrust it in Rory's direction. "… I'll defeat you with this fennel!"

"Fennel?" Rory drew up short, her brow furrowing. "What's fennel?"

"A … vegetable?" Lorelai flipped the package over. "Definitely a vegetable. It's very vegetablely."

Rory peeked into another one of the brown paper shopping bags. "There's more vegetables in here. Has there ever been this much green stuff in the Jeep?"

"Does this count the time we forgot that container of kung pao chicken from Al's for six weeks?"

"Yes."

"Then, it's debatable."

Luke wedged himself between the girls with two freezer bags. He loaded them into the back of the Jeep, taking enough time to see what Lorelai held.

"Fennel is good for you," he said as he took the container from her and put it back in its bag.

"OK, babe, we seriously need to talk about the ratio of vegetables to real food in this car."

Luke turned back to get the last of the bags from the cart. "I'm not going to stand there and watch you two stuff yourself full of this junk without trying to mitigate it in one form or another." He loaded the bags in, then waggled his fingers at Rory. "C'mon, Rory, hand it over."

Rory hugged the jar protectively to her chest. "But cookie butter is almost dairy! Ish!" A raised eyebrow later, and she handed it over with a resigned sigh. "You're mean. I didn't agree to this when I said I wanted you and Mom to date."

He ignored her protest, then grabbed the chocolate orange sticks out of Lorelai's purse. "But the sticks have oranges in them! That's a fruit!" Lorelai whined.

"The fruit part of those things are highly debatable." Luke unzipped one of the freezer bags and shoved it inside. "You honestly didn't think I wasn't going to buy real food if we went grocery shopping together?"

"I was magically hoping that my proximity would convince you to expand your palette," Lorelai sighed. "Instead, there's fennel."

They piled into the Jeep, Lorelai cranking the air so the August heat wouldn't immediately turn the groceries into science projects. It reminded her of similar trips she'd taken when Rory was little, when they could barely afford groceries at Wal-Mart. Shopping at Doose's had been out of the picture until Rory had been a teenager, and it had been a little thrill to realize they had enough disposal income to make shopping closer to home worth the price hike. The decision to shop elsewhere, made in the spur of the moment when none of them could bring themselves to walk into the Stars Hollow market, felt a little bit like teenage rebellion.

"So, how are we doing on the shopping list?" Lorelai asked as she joined the line of traffic waiting at the light.

Rory pulled a list out of her purse. "Well, we got the mattress store rant done, the Target rant done with a bonus Wal-Mart thrown in there, oh and the junk food will kill you rant done. I think we're good to go home."

"You know we love you," Lorelai said when Luke eyed her with a hefty amount of annoyance. He shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat, and she patted his knee.

"And your rants," Rory supplied. "I have to stock up. I'm going to miss them when I'm down in New Haven most of the time."

"Any word from Tom?" Lorelai asked Luke. He reached into his pocket long enough to check his cellphone before putting it away.

"No. Wasn't really expecting to. It'll take a couple days, but it's still faster to brick up a wall than it is to cut a hole in one in the first place."

Rory leaned forward. "Oh, that reminds me. Grandma called. She was checking to make sure we were still coming for dinner on Friday. She made extra sure to emphasize the _all_ in all three of you."

"Did you tell her I was washing my hair?"

"That excuse stopped working last year."

"We might as well go," Luke said.

Lorelai rewarded him with a mock gasp. "What? Weren't you planning to open the diner on Friday? That's it!" Lorelai twisted around to face Rory after pulling to a stop at the red light. "I have to help Luke open the diner."

"You helping me to open the diner means you're just sitting on a stool trying to see how fast you can consume coffee and test my patience."

"I'm still trying for that Guinness record!"

"Which one? Coffee consumption or how fast you can get Luke to lose his temper?"

"Yes," Lorelai said with a nod.

Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "Keep that up, and I'll call your mother myself."

This time, the gasp was real. "You wouldn't!"

"I would! In the middle of Target from a cellphone!"

"Fighting dirty," Rory said with a nod of approval. "Green," she added, and Lorelai quickly faced front and barely made the light as the long line of cars snaking behind the Jeep blasted their horns.

They kept up the banter all the way back to Stars Hollow, and it felt a little to Lorelai like the summer all over again. Their stops in Hartford had included the bookstore, where two copies of _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ were quickly procured. Rory moaned about having the temptation of the new book at her fingers, when she had so much to do to get ready for Yale. It wouldn't stop her precious daughter from staying up until 4 a.m. consuming the book. It was one of the rare times she was disappointed to see the Stars Hollow sign, and for once, she slowed down to just under the speed limit so she could prolong the drive.

"Do you want to be dropped off at the diner or sort the groceries out at the house?" She asked Luke as she made her way toward the town square.

"I'm hoping that by going to your house that some of those vegetables will actually make it into your fridge."

They were going slow enough to where Lorelai took one hand off the wheel long enough to pat his knee. "Aww, how cute. You still believe in fairy tales."

Luke didn't say anything, his gaze automatically tracking toward the diner as she passed it on the way to her street. He bolted upright and twisted around to look out the window. "Hey, pull over," he suddenly ordered.

"What?" Lorelai asked, confused, but she immediately pulled to the curb. "OK, what's … hey, I didn't think he wanted to be dropped off at the diner," she told Rory as Luke unsnapped the seat belt and bolted from the Jeep. She craned her neck to see what had suddenly gotten into him, but she was too far away to see properly. She threw the Jeep into park and started out of the car.

"Mom? Mom, cold stuff!" Rory said from the backseat.

"Here." Lorelai shoved the keys at her. "I'll double your allowance if you make the vegetables disappear."

"I don't have an allowance," Rory pointed out.

"$25 for the bookstore."

"Deal. Cash upfront."

Lorelai dug into her purse for the bribe and tossed in an extra $5 for good measure. She hastily walked back down the sidewalk to the diner, a look through the front window confirming her guess. The door was unlocked, so she pushed her way in, flipping the lock behind her in case Kirk happened to be staking out the diner. Taylor's business was in full swing, she noticed, then walked to the counter where Luke was on the phone. She slid onto her usual stool as he hung up so forcefully that she was mildly surprised that the phone didn't come off the wall.

Luke turned back to her, bracing himself on the counter for a moment before reaching for a blank order pad tucked next to the register. "How do you passive-aggressively say screw you in flower?"

"Have you ever bought anyone flowers?"

"No, but in this case, I'm considering it."

"Oh. Then, geraniums for stupidity, foxglove for insincerity, meadowsweet for uselessness, yellow carnations for disappointment, and lilies for hatred. Quite striking and full of loathing."

Luke scribbled all of that down. "Got it. So, who was on the receiving end of your wrath?"

"Let's just say Mother Day's 1989 is one none of us will ever forget. I take it Tom didn't have good news."

" _Someone_ didn't approve the permits. Three guesses as to who."

Lorelai swiveled around on the stool to face the window. "You need a permit to brick up an interior wall?"

"You need a permit to go to the bathroom in this town. I can't open on Friday, Lorelai, look at that thing!" Luke waved a hand at the window. "I get weirded out just watching what's going on over there."

They studied the activity as Taylor's employees served ice cream cones and root beer floats to the line of people that stretched out the door. "What are they wearing?" Luke asked when they caught sight of brightly colored skirts with full petticoats swishing about.

"Poodle skirts," Lorelai replied.

He frowned. "Like the 1950s?"

"I want a poodle skirt," Lorelai mused, already imagining herself in one. Definitely blue. No, pink. No, back to blue. Maybe she could do blue _and_ pink. Not together, of course.

"That's ridiculous!"

"I would look so cute in a poodle skirt," she sighed.

Luke gestured to the one boy in the shop, who appeared to be trying his hardest to keep smiling as he took the money from a mother carrying a screaming toddler. "Look at that one kid behind the register. Is that a _bow tie_?"

"Bow ties are cool?" Lorelai glanced at Luke, briefly visualizing him with a bow tie, then roundly rejected the thought. She in a poodle skirt would be darling. Him in a bow tie? Very mock-worthy, but no.

"Not in 2003!"

"Maybe they'll make a comeback around 2010 or so. Taylor's just a few years ahead of the curve."

Their words seemed to summon him. Taylor walked into the soda shoppe, briefly stopping to talk with one of his employees. He took the scoop from teenager's hand and waved it about for a moment before slowly scooping up some ice cream. He added some sort of flourish that Lorelai couldn't quite identify, and she felt sorry for the poor kid. He handed scoop and bowl off to the employee, then caught sight of Lorelai and Luke watching through the window. He pointed at them, then rushed out the door.

"Please tell me you locked it," Luke asked Lorelai as the door began to shake from Taylor's efforts to open it.

"Luke?" Taylor pushed his face up against the glass. "Luke!"

With a resigned sigh, Luke moved around the counter to unlock the door. "You're gonna wash that glass," he informed Taylor as he all but fell over the doorstep.

"We need to talk about when you're going to reopen the diner."

Lorelai slid off the stool, torn between taking detailed notes of the fight for Rory or making coffee. Her craving for coffee won out, and she slipped behind the counter. She found the beans and loaded them into the hopper.

"I will open it as soon as you restore the wall you took upon yourself to remove!" Luke turned his back on Taylor as Lorelai turned the grinder on and went back behind the counter. "Sit," he ordered, pointing to her stool.

"The shelf isn't going to fall on my head," she protested as he poured the ground coffee into a filter and reached for a spice bottle. He sprinkled the contents over the grounds and put the filter into the machine.

"Luke, are you listening?" Taylor demanded, joining them at the counter.

"No."

Taylor huffed a bit. "It's very bad for business to have my customers looking into a dark, empty space."

"And you don't think it's bad business to have your customers turn into amateur voyeurs while watching Kirk try to balance the salt shaker on top of the pepper or Lorelai consume three vats of coffee?"

Lorelai rested her arms on the counter. "Three? I'm slacking."

Luke pulled down a mug and paused the machine long enough to pour out coffee and push it in front of her. "We have a lease, Taylor! I know this because it took way too much time and energy to get that thing signed."

"Which a good bit of it was spent chatting up my lawyer, if I recall."

"Leave my relationship with Nicole out of this," Luke said with gritted teeth as Lorelai scowled into her coffee.

"Ms. Leahy assured me, as I told Lorelai, that the cosmetic improvements on the shoppe fall well within my rights as a tenant."

Luke pointed at Taylor. "On _your_ building. Not mine!"

"Really, you must thank me," Taylor continued. "You see, when the contractors just happen to remove the old drywall, they saw it covered the window in the common wall between the diner and the soda shoppe. So, I took it upon myself to restore it to the original condition as when the buildings were built in …"

"Without my permission! Taylor, you came in the diner, tore down the shelves, and threw out my stuff!"

"Those shelves weren't original to the building, which violates the terms set by the Stars Hollow Historical Preservation Society …"

Luke grabbed hold of the counter, leaning across it until he was almost in Taylor's face. "Those shelves were my _dad's_! This building was my dad's, and those shelves were his, and those things over there in the corner were his, and that's _my_ history. Thanks to you, I can't get them back." He pushed away, storming through the curtain and up the stairs.

"Wait, we're not finished!" Taylor yelled after him. He turned pleading eyes to Lorelai. "Lorelai, could you talk some sense into him?"

Exhausted, Lorelai slid off the stool. "Just go, Taylor," she said, driving the point home by walking to the door and holding it open for him.

"Tell him the diner should open no later than tomorrow at lunch! And remind Rory of her coronation!" Taylor said moments before Lorelai slammed the door shut on him.

* * *

It was a long, long Friday.

Luke reopened the diner as planned, despite having the window as an open eyesore. He tried to tell himself it was some sort of living painting, like the Festival of Living Art the town was roped into doing every seven years or so. But that was even more creepy. He shut down any attempts by his customers to talk about the window with well-placed glares and threatening to throw Kirk out at one point. The only comment he hadn't minded was Gypsy's, when she commented how it seems like Taylor was taking every opportunity to rub his overinflated ego in Luke's face. Then she pointedly turned her back on it.

Luke made sure a serving of free pie accidentally found its way to Gypsy's table.

After more than 12 hours of staring at Stars Hollow's twisted homage to _Happy Days_ , he closed the diner early and sent Caesar home. Just as he was about to turn the locks on the front door, Lorelai slipped inside with her arms filled with shopping bags.

"Aren't we going to Hartford?" Luke asked as Lorelai dumped the bags on one of the tables. Several rolls wrapped in plastic spilled out.

"Rory is going to Hartford. You and I, my friend, are going to take care of that window."

"You told your mom we would be there tonight," he reminded her.

"Well, I'm welching. We have far too much to do, and do you want that window taken care or not?"

Yes, almost more than anything at the moment. But … "I'd rather your mother not put hitmen out on us because we didn't show up to dinner."

"She won't send the hitmen after us. The Russian mafia, maybe." Lorelai started to unwrap one of the rolls.

"What's this?" Luke picked up another and turned it over in his hands.

"Pretty, huh? It's window film." Lorelai assembled the remaining rolls in a row. "I got several. I wasn't sure which one would look the best. This one looks like panes of glass, and these look like leaves. This one just looks like fake blinds. But, this is my favorite."

She tapped a roll on the end, a detailed map of the United States. "So, I was thinking that you put up a sheet of corkboard that covers the window, then this on top of it, then clear window film. Keep some pushpins nearby and tourists can mark on the map where they're from. I've got some postcards at home we can tack up, encourage it. So it almost looks like you did it on purpose, with the window frame and all. It keeps with the existing decor, people will like it, and it'll piss off Taylor."

Luke blinked, not quite sure how to respond. He took one deep breath, then another, trying to wrap his mind around what Lorelai had done. He thought she had spent her day with Sookie going over paperwork for the Dragonfly, but instead, she had spent time and money she probably didn't have on him. He stared at the roll of window film in his hands and carefully aligned it alongside the rest. She was waiting for him to say something, but "thank you" didn't seem to be nearly enough. So he took her hand, tugged her to him, and kissed her until she was smiling against his lips.

"Good idea, huh?" she whispered, and gradually he realized that at some point during the kiss, his hands had snaked under her clothes.

"Not bad." He made a mental note to slip the money back into her wallet the next time she wasn't looking and kissed her again.

"I bet you kiss all the clever girls like that," she breathed as they reluctantly pulled apart.

"Just my clever girl." He pressed one last kiss to her forehead. "We're still going to dinner."

Lorelai huffed. "Did you realize how close you were to getting laid tonight? We're still not going."

"Yes, we are."

"You need the address."

"Which I got from Rory."

Lorelai pressed a hand to her chest. "Traitor!" she protested just as a knock sounded at the door.

"We're closed!" Luke responded automatically, glancing over to see a familiar-looking man on the other side of the glass. He scooted around the table to flip the lock. "Oh, sorry, Mr. Gilmore," he said as he opened the door.

Richard strode into the diner, taking in the decor much as he had done on his previous visit. His eyes widened slightly at the window looking into the soda shoppe before he turned and offered his hand to Luke. "That's quite all right. Call me Richard. Lorelai," he added, nodding to her.

Lorelai gripped the back of the chair tightly. "Dad, why are you here?"

Richard made his way to the table and picked up one of the sealed rolls of window film. "Well, I figured I would come by. It's been quite awhile since I've been here, and I especially enjoyed the grapefruit since you wouldn't finish yours."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You mean the grapefruit I made Luke go and buy because you wouldn't leave me alone about it."

"You told me he always had it on the menu." Richard put the roll down and walked over to the window. He ran his fingers over the frame, tracing the shapes carved into it, then reached in his coat pocket for his glasses so he could study it closer.

Lorelai folded her arms across her chest. "Well, I lied."

Luke locked the door again. He had a hunch as to why Richard was there, but it was better to let Lorelai puzzle it out on her own. He shrugged and went to start overturning chairs onto the table. "Oh, I remember that. That was when Rory's friend came in as well. London … no, Paris."

"Oh, you never told me you had the Paris experience."

"It was an experience all right. The therapy bills proved that."

Lorelai bit back a laugh before turning back to her father. "OK, Dad. What are you doing?"

Richard caressed the wood almost reverently. "Admiring this window looking into the store next door. Clearly original to the building. I wonder what the history is behind it?"

"The history is it was there, it got bricked up at some point in the past 50 years, it got unbricked without my permission, and now it's getting bricked again as soon as I can manage it." Luke slammed an overturned chair onto a table with a little more force than necessary.

"Oh, you can't brick this back up. Just look at the craftsmanship. Someone put a lot of detail into this frame. You don't see work like this anymore."

For the first time since coming home, Luke studied the window without the red haze of anger that accompanied it. He ignored what lay beyond the glass and focused on the craftsmanship. Warily, he joined Richard in running his fingers over the shapes carved into the wood. Either the people Taylor had restoring the window did an excellent job, or the fine polish of the wood was original to the building. "Huh."

"You were so busy hating it you didn't even look at it, did you?" Lorelai's voice was soft next to his.

It bugged him that she was right. "I still don't want to be looking into Taylor's business all the time, and I certainly don't want him looking into mine. I don't care if the walls were bricked with solid gold, he had no right to evade the lease and excavate that window."

"Is this building on the historic registry?" Richard asked.

"The entire town is a historic district," Lorelai said.

"Now, I'm not a lawyer, but working in insurance, I can reasonably say that historic associations have a good bit of sway when it comes to these sorts of things, especially when preservation is involved. It's most likely in your lease. I suggest reviewing it with your lawyer. How old are the two buildings?"

Luke thumbed a small carving of a rose. "My dad opened the hardware store the year I was born, so he bought it around '64 or '65. I'd say early 1900s? I'd have to check the paperwork." His brow furrowed. "Maybe around 1910? I think this is art nouveau." He tapped the frame.

"You're starting to like this now, aren't you?" Lorelai asked, a smile growing.

"No," he said too quickly.

She elbowed his ribs. "Liar. I saw how you were in Europe with all the architecture over there."

He ignored her. "In any case, the window was bricked up by the time my dad bought the building. There's pictures of the interior from right after he bought it. No window."

"You never thought to strip everything down when you were remodeling for the diner?" Richard asked.

Luke shrugged. "I barely had enough money back then to cover the basic remodeling. Besides …"

"I know," Lorelai replied, then caught Richard's confused look. "His dad," she mouthed.

Richard didn't say anything for a few moments. "Might I suggest that you check into whatever requirements your inn needs from the town's historical association before breaking ground."

The realization came with the force of a gut punch. Next to him, Lorelai sucked in a deep breath. They turned to each other, all but ignoring Richard standing next to them.

"Do you think he would," Lorelai started to ask, but Luke cut in.

"You know he would. Sonofa-" He cut himself off from swearing a blue streak in front of Richard. "We can't do anything with that thing." He rapped the window. "You know it, and I know it, and clearly even your father knows it. I bet you that town meeting we've been summoned to on Tuesday has everything to do with this. If we do anything with that window, even smear it with fingerprints, Taylor's gonna shut down construction on the inn."

"We'll figure something out," Lorelai told him, then turned back to Richard. "Sorry, Dad."

"No, no, quite all right." Richard pulled off his glasses. "Anyhow, as you could probably guess before the conversation went in a different direction, I am here to ensure that you two come to dinner."

Lorelai huffed a bit. "Look, Dad, that's nice, but-"

Richard's voice was gentle, but firm. "Your mother and I want you both there. We have had quite a few discussions on the matter since our days in Rome, and it is apparent that the situation won't be changing any time soon. I know that technically, you are under no obligation now to come every week as Rory has graduated from Chilton, but we would like you to be there at least this once before Rory starts Yale tomorrow." The corner of his mouth tugged in a half-smile. "Your mother has plans to occupy Rory until you do come."

Lorelai bristled. "Oh?" she asked, her voice tense.

"I believe she has brought out the ballroom dancing tapes," Richard said absently, but his eyes were twinkling.

She didn't move for a solid 10 seconds. Then she was a sudden blur of motion, shoving the window film back into the shopping backs and diving for her purse. "Grab your keys," Lorelai ordered, shoving at Luke. "Go, go, go!"

An "I told you so" hovered on the tip of his tongue, but there would be plenty of time later to utilize it. "Dad," Luke heard her say as he went up the stairs to get the truck keys. The conversation floated up behind him.

"You will be contacting me about your liability insurance before you break ground on your inn?" Richard asked.

Lorelai huffed a sigh so loud she was probably head in Litchfield. "Yes, of course."

"Good. I'll see you at the house. We'll discuss your insurance needs while we eat."

Luke walked back into the diner with his keys as Lorelai opened the door. She worried her lip, then laid a hand on Richard's arm. She took a deep breath, hesitated, then took another. "Dad, you're not just magically fine with this relationship."

Richard studied Lorelai for a moment, his gaze flicking over her shoulder at Luke before returning his attention to her. "Let's just say this evening has been very illuminating."


	3. A Town Called Mercy

**Author's note:** Rory's first night on her own at college is based off my own first night in the dorms. Right down to the incident at the very end.

* * *

 _Chapter 3: A Town Called Mercy_

The next day, Rory went to college.

It was a day of hauling the same mattress back and forth across Connecticut, of discovering that neither of them were prepared at all, and then Rory having a last-second panic attack and summoning Lorelai back to her side. After a night of virtually every takeout option available in New Haven, Lorelai drove back to Stars Hollow early on Sunday morning. She sat in the Jeep, staring at the house for a long time before willing herself to get out.

Everything in her said to run away - flee to the diner, go all the way back to New Haven, to not stop driving until she reached the Pacific Coast. It was so easy that she forced herself to unlock the door and walk into the living room.

It was quiet. When had the house ever been this quiet? Certainly not in the past week, caught in that limbo between Europe and reality, when Rory's things had exploded all over the place and every day had been filled with a plethora of errands that had to get done before she left. Lorelai dropped her keys and purse next to the phone and studied the blinking answering machine. Her finger hovered over it, then dropped away.

Was this a wallowing moment? It didn't feel quite like a wallowing moment. She'd known this moment was coming for 18 years. But now that it was here and Rory was gone … Lorelai walked to Rory's room and leaned against the doorjam, studying the neatly made bed and the clutter Rory left behind. It wasn't like she had gone to school in Alaska. She was a half hour's drive away.

It felt like she was halfway across the country.

Lorelai marched into the kitchen and yanked open the refrigerator. Mixed among their normal takeout containers were vegetables, a half-used jar of spaghetti sauce, and stuff for making sandwiches. All things that said someone else was spending time here other than Lorelai and Rory. Strange how things could change in a week. She pulled out the container of fennel, still untouched. She wasn't alone, she reminded herself. She had a boyfriend. She had friends and good neighbors. Her breath hitched, and she could feel control skittering away from her.

"Honey, are you there?"

Lorelai sniffed and dashed a hand across her eyes as Babette opened the back door. "Hey, Babette."

"I saw the Jeep in the drive and wanted to see how you were doing." Babette's gaze fell to the fennel in Lorelai's hands. "Oh, that stuff's good grilled. You should have Luke fix it up for you sometime."

"I think that was the plan." Lorelai set the fennel on the table. "Coffee?"

"Sure. Did Rory get settled in OK?"

Babette stayed an hour, which was long enough for her to rave over the coffee that Lorelai had purchased during the Trader Joe's boycott trip. When she left, Miss Patty landed on her doorstep. While they chatted about Europe, Lorelai sneaked in a couple questions about the town meeting.

"I don't know what's on the agenda," Patty admitted. "Taylor's being close-mouthed about it, but he wasn't very happy to find out that Luke joined you on your trip."

"It's not Taylor's business," Lorelai told her.

"Honey, everyone in the town square has been wondering about the two of you for years." Patty leaned in close. "So, how is it?" Her gaze flicked toward the stairs.

Lorelai merely took a sip from her coffee mug. There was no need to tell Patty that Lorelai had yet to spend a night by herself since returning from Europe. But the twinkle in her eyes told Patty everything she needed to know.

"I wouldn't brag either," Patty said with a contented sigh. "Just tell me … better than his coffee?"

"Equal," Lorelai conceded, and they laughed together.

As Patty made her way back toward town, Sookie arrived with an array of food that Lorelai helped haul into the house.

"So, we've got your chicken salad with grapes to give it that extra kick. Pecans instead of walnuts, I know how much you hate those. Oh, and you have got to try these deviled eggs mixed with avocado. And look!" Sookie whipped off a lid from a Tupperware container. "Cinnamon-hazelnut pavlova with a coconut cream. I'm trying different recipes, seeing what will be good for the Dragonfly. Anyhow, we knew that it would be hard on you today, with Rory being gone."

Sookie snagged the container of fennel off the table, turning it over in her hands. "I could turn this into a lovely salad," she said. "Blood orange, a little shaved fennel. Oh, that would go well with sandwiches. Do you have any blood oranges?"

"I forgot to get some at the store." As Sookie put the fennel back in the refrigerator, Lorelai leaned against the counter. First Babette, then Patty, now Sookie. Oh so conveniently timed for when she got back from Yale. "So, who organized the baby-sitting group?"

"Well, Luke certainly did not ask me to drop by and make sure you were doing OK," Sookie said. She suddenly closed the refrigerator, her pinks tinged pink. "Oops."

Of course. Why wasn't she surprised? Lorelai poured herself another mug of coffee and sat back at the table as Sookie dished up some of the pavlova. "I'm fine! Why does nobody believe me when I say I'm fine?"

"Because it's Rory," Sookie replied, sitting across from her. "Honey, the day you left her at Stars Hollow Elementary for her first day of kindergarten, you didn't stop crying for two hours. Mia was beside herself."

"That was because Rory had me up at 5 am convinced we had to go right then so she could get a good seat and the best box of crayons, and I was crying from lack of sleep." Lorelai fiddled with the mug. "Would you think any less of me if I said I wasn't OK?"

"Not one bit. Here, have some pavlova."

Lorelai took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. "Could use some chocolate."

"You think?" Sookie took her own bite. "Definitely needs chocolate," she agreed. "I'm not entirely sold on the coconut."

"Neither am I." But it didn't stop them from devouring their desserts.

"You don't really think Taylor's gonna stop development on the inn, do you?" Sookie asked as they ate and Lorelai told her about the conversation she and Luke had with her father in the diner.

"Not without hurting the town's economy, and I'm not sure he wants to go there. Miss Patty thinks it has something to do with the fact that Luke and I are together now."

"He wasn't very thrilled when he found out you and Luke kissed."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at Sookie. "And just how did he, and the rest of the town find out?"

Sookie sighed. "Sorry. Jackson can't keep his mouth shut to save his life."

"Well, it made this week easier. Less Bennifer and more normal. Say, by the way, I was thinking we could go with my dad for the insurance on the Dragonfly."

"We could," Sookie said thoughtfully. "I thought we were going to go with Larry for the liability?"

"Dad offered us a good rate."

"How did it go by the way, Friday night?"

Lorelai scraped the last of the pavlova off her plate. "Surprisingly not World War III. We got there, Mom had cornered Rory and was showing her ballroom dancing. It was very … pleasant."

"Pleasant good, pleasant bad?"

"Polite."

"Huh."

Huh, Lorelai agreed as she walked with Sookie out to the car and waved her off. She shouldered her purse and decided to walk into the center of town, using that time to mull over Friday night dinner. She thought it would be a repeat of the last frigid lunch they all had in Rome, but instead it had turned into an argument between Lorelai and Emily over how Rory was spending her final evening before college. It had led to all five of them spending most of the night watching ballroom dancing. Well, her father and Luke had been the first to nod off, then her mother had curled up against her father and slept. Lorelai and Rory talked late into the night, sharing biscotti Rory still had in her purse from the trip.

She longed for a piece of that broken biscotti. Lorelai chewed on her bottom lip, glancing down the sidewalk toward Weston's. Would Weston's even have biscotti? Maybe Sookie could make some. She could settle for a donut for now. Satisfied, Lorelai pushed open the diner door, her gaze immediately drawn toward the window. Curtains would do for now, she thought. The rolls of window film had been set aside until after the town meeting.

"There he is, Lou Grant, making sure that Mary Richards didn't have to spend her first day off the sleeping pills alone," Lorelai said as Luke walked out of the kitchen.

"I was just worried about you." He pulled down a mug for her and filled it with coffee.

"And I appreciate that. But eventually, I am going to have to be at the house by myself longer than it takes to run to the bathroom." Lorelai pulled the mug close, cupping it with both hands. She eyed the stand where the donuts were and inched toward it. "I'm very proud of myself. I've only thought about going to Yale six times."

"Considering that was four hours ago …" Luke batted Lorelai's hands away and got the donut himself.

She took it from him. "I have gone a whole five and a half hours without visiting Rory."

"And that explains the twitchiness."

Lorelai munched on the donut, switching her attention back to the window. "I wonder why Taylor insisted we go to this town meeting?"

"Probably to rub that damn window in our faces." Luke reached for a rag to wipe away the crumbs from Lorelai's donut as she twirled around in her seat to watch the activity in the soda shoppe.

"It's kind of like watching a very absurd episode of _Leave it to Beaver_ ," she commented, licking powdered sugar from her fingers.

Luke grunted, which could mean a number of things. Lorelai took this one as agreeing with her. "Do you want to stay here tonight?" he asked after a couple of minutes.

She gave him a half smile. "As much as I want to put that new mattress of yours to a very throughout testing, I have to stay by myself at the house at some point. It's something I _need_ to do."

She thought she saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes, but it had disappeared almost as fast as her brain had registered it. "OK," he said easily, and it felt like her heart was glowing. Absently, she found herself thinking back to Max and how he pressured her time after time again to do what he wanted. She told Rory repeatedly not to live with regrets, that mistakes were just part of figuring out how things worked. But she found herself regretting Max just a bit, especially how she had practically thrown herself at him not long before Rory's graduation. The sex had been pretty good. OK, it had been great. But it didn't compare with the sex she was having now, that was for sure. The difference that comes with absolutely being in love with the person you're sleeping with.

Max had cajoled until Lorelai gave in, and while she had been the one to call off their marriage, he twisted it into it being her fault that he couldn't move on. Lorelai nursed her coffee and absently wondered what things would have been like had Luke not suddenly reversed course and gone to Europe. Would he have proposed to Nicole? Would he be trying to make it work? Would her own eyes have ever been opened about him?

Lorelai finished her coffee and put her purse on the counter. It was the outrageously pink bag that Luke had brought along with him on the trip to replace her stolen purse, and it had been her faithful companion ever since. It was, she discovered, extremely roomy and even had anti-theft deterrents built into it. It somehow fit the both of them, and he hadn't even realized it until they were reading the tags as she had cut them off in Paris.

"There's extra clothes and makeup in there," she sighed.

Luke reached over and patted her hand. "You tried."

That night, she lay next to him, watching the light from the street lamp crawl across the ceiling as he snored softly. She tried to imagine it was Amsterdam, and Rory was asleep just across the room. Or maybe it was Vienna and it was the night Rory crashed in the dorms so they could have the small double bed to themselves. If she closed her eyes, she could almost hear Rory's soft breathing.

I'm not going to cry, she told herself, tears streaming down her cheeks. _I'm not going to cry._ She turned onto her side, closed her eyes and hugged herself, willing herself to calm down.

Lorelai didn't register that the snoring had stopped until she felt Luke's hand rubbing her back in gentle circles. Hiccuping, she turned into him and shook and shook and shook until his shirt was wet and she was utterly exhausted.

"I'm sorry," she managed.

"Don't have anything to be sorry about."

"I thought I was stronger than this."

He dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "You're one of the strongest people I know. You're allowed to grieve, Lorelai."

"I thought I was ready."

"I don't think you're ever fully ready."

She pressed her ear to his chest, grateful that she wasn't alone. She let the steady beat of his heart lull her to sleep.

* * *

The first night she was in the dorms without her mother on a stolen mattress next to her, Rory took Colonel Clucker and sneaked outside.

She sat on a bench in a small plaza not far from her dorm, some pretty fountain gurgling away. She clutched her stuffed rooster to her chest and cried until there were no tears left.

She thought she was ready for this. She had spent her entire life preparing for college, and the time she sneaked into a Harvard classroom had been one of the best moments of her life so far. She didn't live that far from Stars Hollow. Maybe it wasn't too late to become a commuter student. It'd be like attending Chilton. She could sleep in her own bed at night, have breakfast at the diner before going to class. Lane would be there, and they could mock the horrible classes she was being forced to attend. She'd even relish being Ice Cream Queen.

But she couldn't do that. Her grandparents were paying for Yale, and Rory knew it was better to stay in the dorms where she was closer to her classes. She had to leave home at some point. Besides … she had Paris.

Yippee.

Rory creeped back into the dorm and into her bed, knowing she wouldn't disturb Paris. Hardly anything bothered her in her sleep, that much she learned when they spent the previous summer together. Rory tucked Colonel Clucker against the headboard and gave him one last pat. Once again, he came through. She snuggled into her new bedding and was nearly asleep when she heard the noise.

"What the," she murmured, turning onto her back as the ceiling creaked.

Why would the ceiling creak?

No. There was another dorm above hers. So something in that dorm was creaking.

It creaked once. Then again. Then came a steady series of creaks, increasing in tempo and noise.

Was it … Rory's jaw dropped. _Ohmigod._

She pulled the pillow over her head and tried in vain to ignore the very loud, enthusiastic round of sex going on above her head.

Two days later, Rory almost had her classes narrowed. She still had three more days of shopping week to do, but she was getting a handle on what she wanted to learn. Pretty much … everything. Frustrated, she tossed the course catalog and her messenger bag in the Prius and headed toward Stars Hollow. She mulled schedules as she drove down the Interstate and had just resigned herself to getting core requirements out of the way when she pulled in the driveway of the house, parking next to the Jeep.

Lorelai was out of the house before Rory turned the car off, and she just grinned at her mother. "Were you sitting at the window waiting on me?"

"No, my one and only offspring. I was sitting on the stairs."

Rory wasn't sure which one of them was hugging first, but she was reluctant to let go. Her mother was warm, comforting, and _home_. "Well, it's only the second day of shopping week, and I have a pretty light load all things considered. It was either do pasta sculptures with Paris or come to this mysterious town meeting."

"And I thought I was bad." Keeping an arm slung around Rory's shoulder, they started toward Miss Patty's together.

"I figured I would wean my way into staying at Yale more. You know gradually lengthen the leash."

Lorelai let her arm drop at the end of the block, and watched Rory out of the corner of her eye as they walked. "We're not doing too good, huh?"

Rory shrugged. "Not really. Managed to sleep at the house since I left?"

"I put considerable thought into it."

Rory smirked. "That's my mommy. How many times did you attempt to come to Yale since Sunday?"

"Only 11 times!" Lorelai protested.

Rory's eyebrow winged up. "Eleven?"

"Luke hid my keys after that." Lorelai sighed and shot a dirty look in the direction of the diner, which made Rory snicker. "And he hasn't given them back yet. What about you?"

"Seven. This was the time when I actually pulled off the exit."

"It'll get better," Lorelai reassured her.

Rory nodded in agreement. "Yes. It'll get much better."

"Starting tomorrow."

"Absolutely tomorrow."

It shouldn't feel different, Rory thought as they walked into Miss Patty's and selected seats, but it was. At Yale for three days, and already she felt like an outsider in the town she grew up in. No, it was before that. She had spent the entire summer away. They missed at least three festivals, or did they ever get that Apple Blossom Festival off the ground? OK, maybe four. Still. She caught Lane's eye and waved, making a note to check in with her before driving back to New Haven. They talked on the phone every day, but it wasn't the same. It never was.

Beside her, her mother chatted easily with the people around her before diving into her purse with one hand and pulling out a bag of Red Vines. She offered it to Rory, who took two pieces. Despite the ease which her mother carried herself, Rory recognized the stress in her eyes. Shortly before the meeting began, Luke slipped into the dance studio and took the seat Lorelai saved for him. Rory saw the same stress in his eyes, the stiff posture and his silence speaking volumes as he ignored everyone around him. When he spotted her, he relaxed slightly and gave her a half smile.

The meeting wound its way through an agenda that was absurd, even for a Stars Hollow town meeting. Rory was too nervous to enjoy it, worried for her mother and Luke. She nearly took Lorelai's hand at one point, just to have a steady anchor, only to find her mother was already tightly holding Luke's hand.

Instead, her gaze drifted around the room, landing on Dean and Lindsay cuddled together a few rows behind them. Rory immediately snapped her head around, but the image of those two snuggled together was seared into her brain. Was her mom right? Did they want sex so badly that they were rushing into marriage for it? She and Dean had made out, sure, but he never pressured her in that area. Jess had made it absolutely clear he eventually wanted sex, and Rory had found herself actually craving it with him. But not Dean. She had loved Dean, loved his kisses, loved it when they tentatively experimented with more. But she hadn't seriously considered sex with him. It just seemed part of the distant future, like college once was. With Jess, it was like her hormones were furiously tap dancing across the room, and they had come so close at Kyle's party …

"A very serious matter has been brought to our attention, and I would like to bring to the floor for discussion the possible negative ramifications of the owner of Stars Hollow's future inn owner and the owner of the town diner dating."

Rory's attention returned to the front of the room, where Taylor stood talking. Next to her, her mother stiffened with shock.

"Oh my God, he actually went there," Lorelai whispered.

Rory's jaw dropped as Taylor went into a litany of reasons why her mother and Luke dating would set the grounds for disaster.

"Think of the consequences. What will happen when the relationship goes sour, as, let's face it, most of Lorelai's relationships do?" Taylor asked.

"Hey!" hey mother shouted, incensed.

"That's not true!" Rory called out. "Is he wanting you to break up?"

"You can't be serious!" Lane called out.

"I think you're over-reacting, Taylor," Babette added.

"For God's sake, Taylor," Gypsy snarled. "This town has too much going on the be obsessed over the lives of two people."

Rory decided it was time to deploy the weapon in their arsenal. "Let him off the leash, Mom," Rory whispered. Her mother looked down at her, understanding her perfectly. She slowly slid her hand from Luke's, giving his knee a squeeze. His head whipped around, fury radiating from him in a way that Rory had hardly ever seen from him. He was holding back for their sake. Her mother gave him a small nod. Then he lunged to his feet.

Rory dearly wished for a video camera for the epic yelling match that followed. There was a lot having to do with the owners of a flower shop and a candy store and a subsequent breakup. There were echoes of Rome when Luke informed them all that the only people whose business was to butt into their relationship was her and her mother, and her chest tightened just a bit. It felt like they were a family.

Then it veered into the whole mess about the window between the diner and the soda shoppe, which Lorelai had brought her up to speed on.

"The window in the diner is an entirely different issue," Taylor was telling Luke. "We will add it to the agenda for the next meeting. This particular issue we have tabled since July."

"Is it? Tell me, Taylor, were you planning to unbrick that window before word got back here that Lorelai and I were together?"

"I don't see how that possibly plays into …"

"And if I brick up the window again," Luke spoke over him, "are you gonna deny Lorelai the permits needed for the Dragonfly to break ground?"

"Dear," Miss Patty cut in gently, "that's not going to happen."

"I have to think of the economy of this town!" Taylor insisted. "We can't risk people avoiding town businesses if you and Lorelai break up!"

"We are two people in a town of thousands! Believe me, not everyone here is as obsessed over me and Lorelai as you are." Luke strode up to Taylor, jabbing a finger at him. "If we break up, will you grant Lorelai the permits and leave her alone?"

"No!" Lorelai surged to her feet, Rory scrambling up after her. "That's not an option!"

"I'm not gonna to be the one to end your dream!" He wasn't looking back at them, and Rory thought for a moment that maybe he couldn't.

"It'll happen." Her mother's voice was calm and authoritative in a way that reminded Rory of her grandfather. "We'll find a way. I'll talk to my dad. We'll get a lawyer."

"Luke, that is enough," Miss Patty said quietly. "The plan Lorelai and Sookie submitted to the Stars Hollow Historical Preservation Society was already approved."

Silence reverberated through the dance studio as Luke just stared at Miss Patty.

"So, Mom has the permits," Rory managed after a few seconds.

Miss Patty folded her hands over her stomach. "Oh yes, we did it during the meeting we held while you were in Europe."

"Permits can be revoked," Taylor tried to bluff, but Miss Patty shot him a cutting look that made Rory wonder if that had caused at least one husband to flee.

"Not without the approval of two-thirds of the board, and only before the permit is filed with the state. I happen to be very efficient with our paperwork. Taylor, you're being insufferable, letting Luke and Lorelai even think for a minute that the inn was in danger."

Rory almost felt sorry for Taylor. It had been her grandfather who suggested that Taylor could possibly hold up the permits, but him pulling such a thing wasn't outside the realm of possibility. This whole thing was one bizarre mess anyhow, quite possibly one of the strangest things to happen in Stars Hollow. And Rory had seen some very strange things in her town.

"The window stays," Taylor sputtered.

"Like hell it is!" With that, Luke pivoted and stormed out of the dance studio.

"Take notes," Lorelai told Rory, then fled after him.

Rory caught Lane's eye, and after an acknowledging nod from her, she grabbed the purse Lorelai left behind and hurried out of the studio.

She reached the diner in time to hear her mother's raised voice come through the still-opened door.

"No, no, put the sledgehammer down, Luke, it's not going to solve anything!"

Rory eased the door open in time to see him do as she asked, almost hurling the heavy tool aside. "I can't stand it! He is _not_ going to dictate our lives anymore! We'll move to Juno if we have to!"

Her mother slipped her arms around his waist. "As adorable as I'd look in a pink puffy snowsuit, you're only giving him cause to come after you."

He held himself stiff for a few seconds longer, then relaxed into her embrace as she soothed him by rubbing his back in long, slow strokes. "Why the hell is he so hung up over our relationship?"

"Question for the ages, babe."

Rory hung back, watching them comfort each other. She had weeks in Europe to get used to them being together, but it always felt like she was an outsider clumsily barging into a scene where she knew she wasn't needed. What worries that remained about her mother being alone dissipated, and she knew Lorelai would be all right. Softly, she set Lorelai's purse on one of the tables. The clank of the fake gemstones against the surface caused them to look over, and Rory gave a small wave before slipping back out the door. She pulled it completely closed behind her, shut her eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Rory, dear?"

Rory opened her eyes to see Miss Patty at the foot of the steps leading up to the diner. "Hey, Miss Patty."

"I was just coming over to see if everything was all right."

Rory managed a smile. "Yeah, Mom calmed Luke down. Window's still intact."

"That's good." Relieved, Miss Patty fumbled for a cigarette. "I'm really very sorry about tonight. I suspected something was going to happen, but nothing like this."

"It's not your fault, Miss Patty," Rory reassured her.

Miss Patty nodded and started back toward the dance studio. Rory followed, falling into step with her.

"Why is Taylor so upset about Mom and Luke?" she asked.

Patty leaned in toward Rory, and her nose wrinkled when she caught a whiff of cigarette smoke. "I suspect, and this is only my personal thoughts on the matter, is that your mother and Luke are an extremely formidable unit. I don't think either of them realize how much power they wield within the town. I think Taylor sees them as a threat. Should either one of them ever develop an interest in politics, well …"

The thought of her mother or Luke running for political office was so absurd that Rory nearly laughed. "They'd hate it for vastly different reasons."

The twinkle in Miss Patty's eye told Rory that she agreed with her. "Yes. I know that, and you know that, and those who know them best know that. But Taylor is right on one thing. If they break up, the town will be divided."

Rory huffed a bit. "Why is everyone so convinced this isn't going to work out? Just give them a chance."

"If anyone is going to work it out, it's them. Words I wish my second husband had lived by."

For a fleeting moment, Rory thought of Dean, Lindsay, and their upcoming wedding and absently wondered what they would do if faced with a problem like this. She bid Miss Patty good night, then caught up with Lane. They quickly exchanged notes, with Lane telling her Taylor looked almost defeated and Rory telling her about the sledgehammer.

Rory reached the diner just as her mother and Luke came out the front, and he secured the door behind them.

"Headed back?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah. Going home?" Rory nodded toward the Crap Shack and took several steps down the sidewalk, hopefully encouraging her mother to follow.

Her mother worried the strap of her purse, then gave a long, slow sigh. "I'm going to try. I think it's time I did."

"OK." Rory hugged her tightly, and when she pulled back, she noticed her mother giving her a knowing look. "Good luck."

"You too, kid."

Rory's attention turned to Luke. "You're going with her, right?"

He arched an eyebrow. "What do you take me for?"

"Just making sure. Good night!" Rory sang and all but skipped down the sidewalk, feeling a lot lighter.


	4. The Parting of the Ways

**Author's Note:** Since we're already way off in AU land, I've changed the date of Luke's father's death and scooted it earlier in November. "Pushkin" made it clear that it was November 30, but I wanted it earlier for reasons.

* * *

 _Chapter 4: The Parting of the Ways_

The kitchen table was covered in paper with various to-do lists scribbled out on some, partially filled out applications and forms on others. Lorelai stared down at the entire mess of it, then blindly reached for one of the papers to take care of it first. I need a filing system, she absently thought as she read through the paper detailing what she needed to do to form a LLC. The purchase of the Dragonfly property had happened so fast that the money for the down payment had come out of her personal savings - the leftovers from the $75,000 check her father had given her in the spring and Yale had penalized her over. So as soon as the LLC paperwork was filed, a bank account was needed so she, Sookie, and Michel could pool their resources.

Everything she had learned in her business classes swirled in her mind: accounting, corporate structures, ethics, human resources. She pressed her fingers to her temples and willed away the brewing headache.

The practical lessons had come the evening before, when Luke had sat her and Sookie down at one of the tables in the diner and told them in no-nonsense terms what he had done to start the diner and the one thing he didn't do. It was a near duplicate of the talk he had given her nearly two years earlier, but it was all new to Sookie.

"I didn't have much to lose because I sold my parents' house to get the money to start the diner. My dad used his own cash to acquire this building and start the hardware store. But he did that before he married my mom," he told them. "But you two do have a lot to lose. You've got your houses and kids to support. So form a corporation or one of those LLCs so if something happens, all that stuff is safe."

His voice swirled in her head as she read through the requirements she printed out from the Internet at the library. The name was easy since they decided on it two years earlier and … damn it, she needed to check and see if it was still available. Of course Rory had taken the only computer in the household with her when she went to college. She needed a laptop. She couldn't afford a laptop. It was a business expense, she told herself as she reached for the phone and called Sookie. Laptop and internet service. Yippee.

"Hey," Lorelai said, "do you have a laptop?"

"Not since it fell off the counter when I was looking up recipes on the Food Network website."

"No other computer?"

"Jackson still keeps his books by hand. He goes to the library for the rest."

"Yeah, Luke's the same way. Thanks." Lorelai ended the call and tapped the phone to her forehead. Her father had a laptop, but she wasn't about to go asking him to borrow it. She could borrow Rory's, but Rory would steal it back after 10 days or so. With a sigh, Lorelai started shuffling through the papers for an empty file folder. Time for the library again. In the morning, though. She flicked a longing glance at the living room. She would get things ready for tomorrow, then turn her mind off by watching TV. It was time to start reconciling herself to the fact that this was the final season of _Friends_.

The phone rang as she scribbled out a list of stuff she needed to research. With the time of night, it had to be Rory. She answered, tucking it under her chin. "How's my favorite offspring that isn't a garden gnome?"

The laughter on the other end of the line was warm and familiar. "I've always loved how you answer the phone, Lorelai."

The pen dropped to the table as Lorelai pushed herself up to pace. "Mia?"

They hadn't talked since Rory's graduation day, when Mia had called to congratulate her. There was a silk scarf somewhere in the house from Vienna earmarked for her, and Lorelai walked into the living room to start looking for it as they chatted about Mia's life in California and Rory's first weeks in Yale.

Lorelai picked up a sweatshirt crumpled behind the couch and frowned at it. She shook it out, did the sniff test, grimaced. One of Dean's old sweatshirts. Right, needed to find some way to return it or just toss it in Rory's Dean box. "Say, Mia, I just wanted to let you know …"

"I've found a buyer for the inn."

"… I'm dating Luke."

Mia laughed as Lorelai dropped the sweatshirt in shock.

"Well, that certainly _is_ big news! And I already knew it," Mia crowed.

"What?" Lorelai asked as she heard the kitchen door open and close.

"You and Rory weren't the only one to send me postcards from Europe. I got a few from Lucas as well, and the postmarks just happened to coincide with yours," Mia said, amusement coming down the line. "I put two and two together fairly quickly, and a very long email from Miss Patty told me the rest. Are you happy?"

Lorelai turned toward the kitchen, where Luke emerged with a styrofoam container in hand and an annoyed expression. He gestured toward the paper-covered kitchen table, arching an eyebrow. She covered the speaker and mouthed "Mia." The annoyance quickly dropped. He nodded, pointed at the container, then retreated back into the kitchen. She couldn't stop the soft smile, even though Mia couldn't see it. "Yeah," she said, walking back into the kitchen. She squinted at the table. They could totally eat there still. She could see small patches of wood.

"Then that's good. I always thought the two of you would work well together."

"So … you found a buyer for the inn?" Lorelai asked casually.

Luke's head snapped up from where he was unboxing the food he brought with him from the diner.

"Yes, and I'm flying out there to oversee the final sale. It'll be a quick trip, just in and out. John did such a good job with the fire when I couldn't make it out, but I want to be there for the end. You understand, don't you?"

"Yeah." Lorelai leaned over, stealing a French fry off one of the plates. She presumed it was her plate since the other one was covered with far too many vegetables for her liking. She leaned against the counter. "So, when are you arriving?"

"Wednesday at 2. I was wondering if you could pick me up from the airport?"

"Of course. I'll pick you up." Luke gestured at himself, then at the phone, and Lorelai corrected herself. "We'll both pick you up."

"I'll email you the details. What's your email address now?"

Nothing at nada dot com. "I still check the Independence email every day, you can send it there." Lorelai finished the call and pressed the phone between her breasts as she stared blindly into the distance.

"You OK?"

"Had to happen sometime." So many changes, Lorelai thought a bit sadly as she accepted her plate and led them into the living room to eat.

* * *

Two days later, they were in the Apple Store that had opened in West Hartford a couple years earlier. Lorelai stood at a flat table of blonde wood, trying to decide between the two lines of laptops the company offered while trying to talk Luke into getting one of his own.

"I don't need a computer," he muttered as she played with a shiny white iBook. It was a newer model than Rory's and had dropped the candy colors and handle that Lorelai had loved.

"If the past couple of days have proven anything to me, you need a computer. The rest of the world will be the Jetsons, and you'll be there with your trusty hammer and chisel, carving hieroglyphics of burgers and fries into the wall."

"No, _you_ need a computer. It makes good business sense. I run a local diner, not an inn that needs to talk with folks all over the world." Luke studied the specs and the price of a Powerbook. He tapped the display that contained the specs and the price. "And if I get a computer, I certainly wouldn't spend this much on it."

"PC guy, huh?" Lorelai's gaze flitted between iBook and Powerbook, mentally tabulating the differences between the machines.

"Just not a computer guy."

"Which size?" Lorelai pointed to a couple different machines.

"Bigger." Luke nodded at a 14-inch iBook. "Not that big," he added, indicating the 17-inch Powerbook.

"This one?" Lorelai tapped the first computer he pointed out. They were all starting to blur together in her mind, and it had been worse when they were in Best Buy earlier that day. "Ugh. Maybe I should give up and buy a PC."

"Those things break in six months, and you've got to put all that anti-virus crap on it. Andrew's power button stopped working after he had his for only four months. Besides, the ratings are crap. You're paying more, but this thing will last a lot longer."

Lorelai smirked. Despite his protests, Luke had spent the time since she announced she was getting a laptop researching them. He had even left his trusty _Consumer Reports_ on the coffee table for her to look at. "By the way, Rory wanted to know if you had an email address. After I stopped laughing at her, she came to her senses and said she'd send smoke signals."

"Why'd she want to know that?"

"She said she wanted to check in with you on that new _Harry Potter_ book."

They left the Apple Store with two iBooks and a bag of accounting software.

"I thought you weren't a computer guy," Lorelai teased as Luke stowed their packages in the back of the Jeep, covering them with a blanket he tossed back there so no one would get any ideas while they were inside the airport picking up Mia.

"Times change," he shrugged. "I can do my books on the computer too, and they're starting to put the tax forms online. A whole hell of a lot easier than filling them out by hand and mailing them in."

"You could have just borrowed mine," she said as she walked around to the driver's side of the Jeep and restraining herself from pointing out that he totally just got a computer because somehow Rory's doe eyes had worked on him from a distance. She would save that ammo for later.

He leveled a flat stare at her as he climbed in the passenger side. "Once you put those pink glittery stickers on there I saw you eying in that Sanrio store, I won't even go near your computer."

Lorelai stared at the clock on the dashboard. They needed to be on their way to the airport. They would pick up Mia, then were planning to meet Rory in Stars Hollow for an early dinner. Mia's flight was scheduled to land in about 30 minutes, giving them enough time to get to Bradley and park in the short-term lot. But turning the car key at that moment seemed about as insurmountable as climbing Mount Everest. The tacos she had for lunch threatened to make a violent return.

"It's OK."

She looked across the car at Luke. "What?"

"You're nervous." He nodded to her fingers, twitching on the steering wheel.

She stared blindly at the center of the wheel. "I let Mia down," she admitted.

"You did not let her down," he insisted.

"The inn caught fire under my watch. Wire, smire, it's gone." With a sigh, Lorelai finally cranked the Jeep.

"She was looking to sell as is," Luke said as Lorelai backed out of the spot and headed for the mall exit. "She's not mad at you, Lorelai."

"No." But I'm mad at me, she thought and didn't talk the rest of the way to the airport. She ignored the worried looks he shot in her direction the entire time.

* * *

Luke normally didn't do the whole airport pickup thing. It was less of a lack of willingness to do it and more to do with the lack of people in his life to pick up at airports. It was odd to stand there with nothing to do but wait. People around them had signs, a few had flowers. One nervous man was pacing back and forth, patting his pocket every so often. Engagement ring, he thought, and wondered if that would be him one day. He looked down at Lorelai.

She was shifting from foot to foot, still lost in her own worries, and that just ratcheted up his own stress levels. Nervous Lorelai babbled about any and everything under the sun. He knew how to handle nervous Lorelai. But this was terrified Lorelai, who was silent in a way that made Luke want to shake her until she began spitting out random facts about celebrities he didn't care about and talk circles around him until he had a headache.

This was Mia, and he knew in his very bones that she wouldn't blame Lorelai at all for the fire.

The closing of the Independence Inn was something they rarely talked about during the Europe trip, and she had been close-mouthed about it before then. Luke knew it had a lot to do with the botched stay she organized for the town to try to revitalize the inn, when he had invited Nicole along with him. She didn't know nothing had come of that night because of Lorelai's well-intentioned turndown that had turned 17 shades of awkward. He had tried. For Nicole's sake, and possibly his own sanity, he had tried. But when he looked down and saw Lorelai's face superimposed over Nicole's, there was no way in hell he could go through with sex. It should had ended that night, their farce of a relationship. All of that had to be linked together in her mind. It most certainly was in his.

Mia was all smiles as she came through security, giving each of them a lingering hug. She held onto Lorelai, whispering something in her ear that made her visibly relax. Then, it was like someone had flipped a switch, and Lorelai had her arm hooked through Mia's as she chatted about Rory and the town, leaving him to deal with the luggage.

It gave Luke a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.

He took the wheel on the drive back so Lorelai and Mia could keep talking. Lorelai insisted that Mia take the front seat.

"I've never ridden in the back seat of my own car before," she said excitedly as she hopped in the back and they began the drive through rush hour traffic back to Stars Hollow.

"Stop kicking my seat," Luke hissed.

"Then what's the point of sitting back here then?"

"Scoot over behind Mia."

Lorelai ignored him, and Mia chuckled.

Rory met them at Silvano's, and the first part of dinner was spent talking about the classes Rory finally settled on before Mia turned her focus to the sale.

"UConn is purchasing it as a place to take faculty and staff for training sessions," she told them. "They wanted a place about an hour from campus, and this fit the bill. I didn't want to sell it to a hospitality chain, because that would put the Dragonfly at risk of failure almost before you get it off the ground. They will be taking most of the furnishings, but with some exceptions that you and I will go over, Lorelai."

"They toured the property last week and sent John a list of what they planned to change, which is all standard. They're planning to gut the inside and pretty much start from the ground up." Mia lowered her fork, giving both Lorelai and Rory a sobering look. "They also told me they plan to tear down the potter's shed."

Both girls went still. Rory stared at her plate, blinking hard while Lorelai fiddled with her wine glass.

"It was to be expected," Mia said gently.

"I know," Lorelai finally said, and she changed the subject.

* * *

Rory returned to Yale, Luke went back to the diner, and Lorelai drove Mia to the Crap Shack, where she was to stay in Rory's room. Her body clock still three hours behind, Mia was alert even as Lorelai felt the last of her energy drain away. But when Mia asked to see Lorelai's plans for the Dragonfly, she couldn't refuse her. She spent the next hour going over the paperwork with Mia as she unboxed the new laptop. She pulled out the sparkly Hello Kitty sticker she bought while Luke had been paying for his own laptop and proudly affixed it to the back of the machine. She pulled out the fat binder with the ideas she collected over the years and Sookie's sketches for the kitchen. She told Mia about how she and Sookie had reached out to Michel a few days earlier, inviting him to join them at the Dragonfly. She talked Sookie's ideas to do catering and party planning on the side until the baby was born and after she recovered from childbirth

Mia weighed in with her own advice before reaching in her purse for an envelope. "Here," she said, handing it over.

"What's this?"

"It's my investment in the Dragonfly. Twenty percent of the sale from the Independence once it goes through. For now, this is coming from my savings."

Lorelai peeked in the envelope, her jaw dropping at the amount written on the check. "Mia, you can't do this!"

"I've already done it. This should go considerably toward getting your renovations done and not have to dip into your own savings quite so much." Mia rubbed Lorelai's knee. "You and Sookie are like daughters to me. This is your dream, and I fully support it. I was always going to gift you something, and it's fitting that part of the proceeds from the Independence goes to its biggest champions. I also want you to have your pick of what's left at the inn. I've outlined that in the bill of sale to UConn. You have until next Wednesday to select what you want to keep and remove it from the premises, then turn your keys over to the real estate agent. I know it's tempting to take everything, but you need to put your own stamp on things."

Lorelai stared at the envelope, the urge to tear it in half so strong that she set it on the table before she could do so. This was too much. Orchestrating the sale of the Independence so it wouldn't infringe with the Dragonfly. Their pick of what remained at the inn. Now this. She and Mia had argued long ago about the gifts that Mia sometimes gave her and Rory, and Lorelai would always remember the suspicious bonus she received right as she was making the final push to buy the Crap Shack.

This isn't just for me, she reminded herself. It was also for Sookie and Michel. They would cheerfully murder her in her sleep if she didn't accept the investment. "I don't feel so bad buying Sadie now," she finally said a with a bright smile.

"The laptop?" Mia asked with a knowing smile. "Good. You need an email address. And a website."

"Yeah." Lorelai scribbled "website" on a scrap of paper. She had done basic maintenance on the Independence's website, but she had never built one from the ground up. Maybe Andrew had a book on that. She added "Mia repayment plan" to the list as well.

"You should consider some additional investors," Mia continued. "It'll be good for the community and for the three of you."

"Jackson's already working with Sookie to plan to food supplies. He's talking about building a bigger greenhouse."

"That's good. There's a lot of people who would be willing to invest in a new community property. Miss Patty, Taylor …"

"Hah, good one." Lorelai started to tell Mia about the whole diner window fiasco, but her next words quickly derailed that train.

"Or your parents."

"Cold day in hell," Lorelai immediately replied.

"Or I'm quite sure Lucas would …"

"Even colder day in hell. So cold the Arctic just froze twice over despite global warming."

"Lorelai," Mia said with a mixture of fondness and exasperation as Lorelai frantically shook her head.

"He's …" She twisted her hands in her lap, the words escaping her. "I can't, Mia."

"You have your reasons," Mia said after a moment.

Lorelai's gaze settled on the mantle, where a picture her, Luke, and Rory from Europe had recently joined the collection. It was one her father had taken using Rory's camera in Rome. "Hey, Mia. About Luke. Why didn't I ever meet him before seven years ago?"

"Before you moved into the house?"

"Yeah. The way you talked about him, you've known him since he was a kid."

Mia stared down at her lap for a moment, then reached out to take Lorelai's hand. "A lot of this isn't my story, and I'm not Miss Patty. But, I'll tell you what I'm comfortable saying." She squeezed her hand hard. "Not long after you and Rory came to Stars Hollow, his father Bill was diagnosed with lung cancer. Chain smoker until the day he died."

"Luke hates smokers," Lorelai replied, easily recalling at least six different rants he had about smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke, and everything related to both.

"When you see a loved one's lungs literally being eaten away by cancer, it's hard not to be affected by it. Bill fought it for three years, but the odds for survival were always low."

"Oh." Her heart ached, and she thought of her father and his heart.

"Lucas spent the entirety of those last few years caring for his father. He dropped out of college to do so. He inherited the hardware store, but that was right as the Wal-Mart was opening in Woodbridge, followed by a Home Depot."

Lorelai remembered taking 5-year-old Rory to the opening of that Wal-Mart, bedazzled by the sheer amount of things that she couldn't afford but could at least look at. A pang of guilt twisted her stomach, and Mia didn't have to elaborate. While she and Rory were oohing over cheap toys and books, the hardware store was being driven out of existence by its very presence.

"He managed to keep it open another 18 months, but his heart was never really into it. He finally closed it and let it sit empty while he considered his options. There wasn't much for him to live off of, and not enough for him to go back to school. What little he was bringing in was going to Liz to help with Jess. It was like this for three years. He was … lost. And that part's not my story to tell."

Lorelai nodded and wondered if Mia thought if it was weird to pause the story long enough to sprint to the diner and give Luke a hug.

"Then he opened the diner in '94. You were saving for the house then and didn't venture out much at all except to take Rory to school and that ill-fated attempt to offer her dance lessons. You didn't shop at Doose's or Andrew's because those were luxuries you couldn't afford. Then you bought the house when Rory was 11, and you know the rest."

* * *

Lorelai lay in bed that night, turning Mia's words over in her head. Luke was so reticent when it came to discussing his past that each new fact that came her way seemed like a shock. There was the order scribbled on the wall behind the counter. The mere fact that Liz and Jess existed. What little he'd told her about how his father had founded the hardware store, and something about that didn't jive either. At the time, he told her that his father had built the business with his own two hands, but the existence of the nearly century-old window in the diner made it clear that the building had been part of the land his dad purchased. She shrugged it off for the moment.

Everyone in Stars Hollow knew her past. Lorelai Gilmore was the child of old money who had brought her toddler daughter to town the moment she turned 18 to escape her parents' control and build a better life for Rory. Her adulthood had played out before curious eyes: her progression from maid to manager of the Independence Inn. Her purchase of the Crap Shack. Her engagement to Max. And Luke had been there, weaving throughout the last seven years first as the man she loved to antagonized, then as one of her best friends, now just the man she loved.

Lorelai turned onto her side and stared at the empty space next to her. She had forgotten how to sleep alone. It was the first time since leaving for Europe she had stayed in a bedroom by herself. Either Luke or Rory or both had shared sleeping spaces with her. The last time they tried sleeping alone, the night they got back from Europe, had also been a dismal failure.

She snatched his pillow and curled herself around it, closing her eyes and trying to sleep. Her Hello Kitty alarm clock ticked away the seconds, and she breathed in the traces of his scent. With a groan, she rolled onto her back and reached for the portable phone.

Luke answered on the first ring.

"Can't sleep either, huh, Rip Van Winkle?"

"No." He sounded just as cross as she felt. "And I thought the whole point of the story was that he slept for decades?"

Lorelai absently waved a hand in the air. "We're big kids. We should know how to sleep in our big kid beds by ourselves. Though I still wanna be a Toys 'R' Us kid." She fiddled with the edge of the quilt, noted it was starting to look pretty worn. She needed to repair it. "So, whatcha wearing?"

"Lorelai," Luke said in half-exasperation, half-laughter, and she smiled.

"Mia wants to give us money for the inn," she told him.

"I'm not surprised. She gave me money for the diner."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she and two other friends of my parents: Maisie and Buddy. I worked in their restaurant while I was getting the diner off the ground."

"Really?" she repeated, any desire to sleep gone.

"Yeah, I should take you there sometime. I don't get out there very often, but they call about once a week. They covered the gap between what I got for the house and what I actually needed to get off the ground. They kept me from having to take out a loan from the bank. That's why I live above it. I didn't want to pay rent some place when I could be paying them back."

"How long did it take to pay him back?" Because there was no question that he had. It was Luke. Just like there would be no question that she would pay Mia back, no matter how long it took.

"Three years? Maybe four? I made the last payment around the time you finally stopped calling me Duke."

She smirked. Good old days. "Was it hard for you to accept the money?"

"I tore up the check three times before accepting it."

Only three, she wanted to quip. Lorelai thought about Mia's suggestion, about taking on additional investors for the Dragonfly. Was this where she'd gotten the idea from, investing in the diner? It wasn't a bad idea, but … she caught her lower lip between her teeth. She never stopped to think about how much money Luke could possibly have, but it was clear he had recovered from the initial financial setback starting the diner had cost. He paid for the soda shoppe building in cash, she remembered. He offered to front the money for repairs to her foundation after termites decided it made a nummy snack. But it was one thing taking money from a mentor or her parents. But it was another thing entirely to take money from him, and she simply couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Did you fall asleep?"

"No, just thinking."

"Ah, that explains the smoke I see out the window."

Lorelai blew a raspberry at the phone. "Is it bad that we've only been together two months and we can't seem to spend a night apart?"

"We didn't exactly take the traditional route."

She grinned. They had leaped over the "getting to know you" dating portion of their relationship, but they had known each other for seven years. What else could dinner and a movie tell them that they didn't already know about each other? She thought of his past. Well, quite a bit. They did manage a few dates while in Europe, usually spending the evening together while Rory did her own thing.

"Maybe we should do the whole dinner and a movie thing," Lorelai suggested. "You know, see what all the cool kids are talking about."

"I'm OK with that."

"Really?"

"I've resigned myself to knowing there's a copious amount of TV and movies in my future."

"Good man. I think I'll keep you."

"Try to sleep," Luke urged.

"You too. I don't have to be up in four hours."

"Don't remind me," he groaned and ended the call.

Lorelai stared at the ceiling for another five minutes, gave up, and turned on the bedside lamp. She ventured downstairs to see what books Rory had left in the living room and stumbled across a copy of _Little Women_ on the coffee table underneath an old _People_ magazine. She trudged upstairs and settled into bed with it, flipping it open to the beginning. She last read it in high school shortly before getting pregnant and had thought it hilarious that anyone had a decent relationship with their mother. Her adolesence was less _Little Women_ and more _Lord of the Flies_.

She was halfway through the second chapter in when her bedroom door creaked open. She didn't even bother to look up. "Want me to read to you?"

Luke slipped beneath the covers and scooted to her side, snuggling into her. "We've gotta to do something about this," he muttered.

"Tomorrow," Lorelai murmured, her body relaxing and quickly growing sleepy now that he was next to her.

"Wassat?" He nuzzled her shoulder and squinted at the book.

" _Little Women_."

"Oh, think Rory left it for me."

"Really?"

"Wanted to know what I thought about it. Said even Jess read it. Disguised it with a cover from a Dickens book so I couldn't see."

She laughed and set the book aside. Lorelai pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "We'll read it together tomorrow."

"'Kay." Luke was asleep seconds before she finally slept.

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai drove Mia to UConn to meet with the lawyers to go over the final sale of the Independence.

"You didn't want to see it one more time?" Lorelai asked Mia as they headed for the Interstate.

"I want to remember it the way it was," Mia said. "Vibrant. Full of life. Full of you, Rory, Michel, and Sookie."

Lorelai turned over all the keys to the property except her personal set, and she agreed to meet the real estate agent the following week to hand off those. They met Sookie and Michel for lunch in Hartford, where her friends were equally astonished by Mia's gift. Sookie sobbed as she thanked Mia, accidentally upsetting her table setting in the process. She also managed to take out the table behind her. The entire table.

Lorelai fought traffic all the way to Bradley, where she parked and walked with Mia through the airport up to the security point.

"Well, I'll have to take it from here," Mia said, embracing Lorelai. "Now that you've finally settled on an email name, you'll have to send me pictures of the progress on the Dragonfly. I want to visit again when it opens."

"I'll let you know." Lorelai was rather proud of the coffeejunkie68 handle she selected for her personal email.

"And you're cashing that check as soon as you get the LLC sorted?"

"That should be next week. I'll go put it in my safe deposit box. I needed to drop the passports off anyhow."

"Good." Mia gave her one more hug. "Lorelai?"

"Yes?"

Mia gave her a long, searching look. "I think you should know. Bill died on November 11, 1989."

Lorelai frowned. "OK?"

"Something to keep in mind." Mia kissed Lorelai's cheek and headed for the closest TSA agent.

* * *

Luke left the Crap Shack before dawn, heading back to the diner feeling at least somewhat rested. A cycle of REM sleep had creeped in there somewhere, and it was far better than staying at the apartment in a fruitless attempt to sleep.

His pillow would probably never recover.

This was ridiculous, he scolded himself repeatedly as he showered, changed into work clothes, and started through the morning rituals that were so well-honed that he barely focused on them. He was nearly 38, for Christ's sake. He could most certainly sleep by himself like any normal adult. There was no rational reason behind his inability to sleep alone anymore. He was an adult in an adult relationship, and they would behave like adults, that meant spending the night alone from time to time. So there.

Luke slammed the lid on the tomatoes he just prepped with such force that it bounced off the container, went flying across the room, and landed in the fry vat.

Well, great.

Lorelai and Mia stopped by on their way out to UConn, and the annoyance he hoarded through the morning briefly got shoved aside as he handed out hugs and go cups of coffee. There was something in Lorelai's eyes that made him worry about her, even though she had gone through the motions. Her smiles were plentiful, her quips had made his head spin. But he knew her well enough to see the stress she was trying to mask, and he was helpless to do anything about it. He suspected accepting the money from Mia bothered her a lot, and he understood. Thankfully, Kirk just happened to open his mouth the moment the door closed behind them, and he relished in getting a chance to vent.

Hours later, Luke saw the Jeep pass outside the diner and reached for Lorelai's favorite mug. He headed back in the kitchen to give Caesar a break and prepare her usual lunch, even though he figured she had already eaten. When had that ever stopped Lorelai? When he walked out 10 minutes later with her food, her stool remained vacant and the mug of coffee untouched.

He waited another 20 minutes, tossed the fries and coffee, and boxed the burger. He stashed it in the fridge and worked through the rest of the afternoon, tapping into all his self control in an effort not to snap his head toward the door every time the bells jangled.

Lane came in after her final class for the day, which gave Luke the chance to escape. She had done such a good job over the summer that they had worked out a way for her to stay on while juggling her classes. She was happy, and her mother was satisfied. He waved Caesar off and checked in with the new evening cook. Denise had come well-recommended via Maisie and Buddy, working her way through culinary school. Had the Independence still been open, she could easily be one of Sookie's sous chefs. He was convinced Sookie would try to hire her away from him once she got to the point where she needed a new staff.

"So, I was looking through the fridge, and do you mind if I used up that chicken that's about to expire?" Denise asked in her light Southern drawl. "I've been tinkering with a recipe for chicken fried chicken with a cream gravy and wanted to give it a try. If you're OK with it, that is. Lane's volunteered to taste test it, along with a friend of hers. Rory, I think?"

"Sure," he said and knew Lorelai would love it. "Save a couple portions of it back in the fridge with that other go box, would ya?"

"Thanks!"

Luke checked the house, then the Dragonfly construction site. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while studying the old building, then did a U-turn. He drove back through town in the direction he'd seen the Jeep go in earlier, turning down the road that led to the Independence Inn.

He hadn't been there since the night of the botched turndown, and he wasn't surprised to see the Jeep parked out front. The lockbox the real estate agent had put on the door was removed and set aside, and he figured Lorelai still had her keys. He walked through the empty lobby and dining room, his footsteps echoing through the mostly empty rooms. A lot of the furniture from the first floor had been put into storage when the inn closed, but the rooms he checked upstairs remained intact. Deterring any potential vandalism, Luke thought and made a mental note to ask Coop if they were doing any extra patrols of the property.

The exploration of the upper floors was merely to satisfy his own curiosity. He already knew where Lorelai was.

The door to the potter's shed stood open, the tiny space once stuffed with tools turned into a surprisingly livable little home. The toilet and shower were curtained off, and a small hotplate and an old microwave sat on an old banquet table. The double mattress was opposite the door, and the walls were covered with child's drawings that were no higher than knee-level. Abstract squiggles and curlicues filled in the spaces between the drawings, making the space uniquely Gilmore. Next to the door, lines were penciled into the wall showing Rory's height at different ages. One line marked the height of Colonel Clucker. The two tallest lines indicated Lorelai's height: in heels and barefoot. Luke grinned at that one.

There was no evidence that Jackson's cousin had once lived here for a few weeks, and he was glad about that for Lorelai and Rory's sake.

She lay on the bed, pillow clasped to her stomach as she stared at the fading sunlight streaming across the ceiling. She turned her head toward him, watching as he inspected the various parts of the shed. He could pick easily a dozen small things that needed repair, and part of him hardly believed that Lorelai and Rory lived here for a decade. But what was the point of ranting about it? It was all going to be torn down soon.

Lorelai scooted over as Luke's inspection finally reached the bed, and he laid down next to her.

"I've never been in here. Not with it like this."

"No? No, I suppose you haven't. I didn't start coming in the diner until after Rory and I moved," Lorelai sighed. "I was kind of hoping whoever bought it would keep it. Make a shrine, you know? Prayers and offerings of Mallomars and Red Vines accepted."

She scooted in closer to him. "I used to lay here and dream of the future for me and Rory. A house. College for her. Maybe one day Chris would actually want both of us and not just me. Or maybe someone else would. I had lots of crazy dreams."

His heart ached for her, and he wished with every fiber of his being that he could rewrite time so he was standing there the moment she got off that bus with tiny Rory and shelter them from the world. "They came true though, didn't they?"

"Yeah." Lorelai smiled, and he smiled back. "How did you say good-bye to the house you grew up in?"

Luke shrugged. "It was just a house. The people were gone."

"But the memories weren't gone."

"Suppose not."

"Did you cry?"

"Shut up," he muttered.

Lorelai sat up, eyes twinkling with mischief. "You so cried."

"I did not," Luke insisted and suddenly found the wall very interesting.

"You're lying. I can tell when you're lying." Lorelai gave him a flirty grin. "You know what I've never done in here?"

Luke suspected what she was thinking, but he was too slow to stop her from rolling on top of him and kissing him. He was helpless to do anything but kiss her back, cradling her head in his hands as if she was as fragile as a thin sheet of ice with the water beating furiously below. When her hands reached for his belt buckle, he quickly covered them before she could follow through.

"We shouldn't," he said hoarsely, his blood trying to overrule every other rational thought.

She pouted. "Why not?"

"This is …" The words failed him, and he gestured to the shrine of Rory's childhood that surrounded him.

"In other words, you don't want to sleep with me where I spent years sleeping with Rory." Lorelai laughed and rolled off him, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Fine. This will remain a sacred space."

Luke sat up before she could get anymore ideas. "You could probably have this stuff donated."

"Yeah, I think I'd like that." Lorelai did as well, leaning against his shoulder. He slipped an arm around her back, and they watched through the open door as the sun dipped toward the horizon. She stared at the height chart on the wall for a long time. "Do you have Bert with you?"

"In the back of the truck."

"Got a saw?"

* * *

They gathered in the front lobby of the Independence Inn the day before Lorelai was to turn over the keys. She nearly asked Rory to come down from Yale, but she knew it needed to be the three of them: her, Sookie, and Michel. OK, the three of them plus Luke, Tom, and a couple of Tom's men, who all agreed to haul what they chose out the U-Haul they rented for the day. She considered the height chart she had Luke cut out of the potter's shed to be Rory's keepsake from the inn.

"It's so weird in here saying good-bye," Sookie sniffed, absently rubbing her abdomen.

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard," Michel said absently.

Lorelai and Sookie gaped at Michel. "Did you seriously just quote _Winnie-the-Pooh_?" Lorelai asked.

"A.A. Milne was a brilliant writer," Michel sniffed. "One hasn't experienced life until he has imagined himself as Eeyore for a day."

"Just tell me what pieces you want, and I'll haul them out," Luke told them. "I'll go lower the ramp on the U-Haul." He squeezed Lorelai's shoulder on his way out, and the urge to burst into tears lessened slightly. Those would come later.

For now, she faced her team. "I think we should each pick just one big thing. Mia's right. It's tempting to wipe the place clean, but we need to put our own stamp on the Dragonfly. The branded toiletries they won't need, so those are going to be donated to charity. Same thing for the linens. The university wants to bring in their own."

"I'm going through all the utensils in the kitchen. There's stuff I want to get new anyhow, but there's a few things in there I want to keep," Sookie said.

"OK, any of the furniture?" Lorelai asked.

"The dining room sideboard," Sookie immediately said. "I love that piece."

"That's a good one. Michel?"

"The armoire in room 3. A piece like that shouldn't be abandoned to a university," he sniffed.

"Right. Armoire."

"And what are you taking?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai walked to the front desk, smoothing a hand over it. "What do you think?"

Sookie grinned. "Perfect."

When everything they wanted was packed into the U-Haul, Lorelai stood alone in the lobby. She slowly turned, taking it all in. She could still see herself and Michel at the front desk, Rory helping out from time to time. She remembered her almost daily squabbles with Drella over her music and wondered if she would be open to playing the Dragonfly from time to time. She could hear Sookie's excited squeals from the kitchen and see tiny Rory sitting on the stairs, watching as parties went on in the dining room. She saw herself as an 18-year-old carrying her daughter in the front door, asking for a job and being given a home.

Independence. What an ironic name. It was more than just an inn.

"Mom?"

Lorelai turned to see Rory hovering by the front door. She walked over and leaned against her, and Lorelai wrapped an arm around her waist. "Saying goodbye, kid?"

"Yeah. I already went out to the potter's shed. What happened to the wall?"

"I happened."

Rory chuckled. "Figured."

Lorelai wasn't sure how long they stood holding each other and admiring their first real home, but soon enough the front door darkened again. "Hey, we've got everything in the truck," Luke said. "You two ready to go?"

Lorelai took one breath. Then another. "Yeah. Go on ahead." She ushered Rory toward the door ahead of her.

"What're you doing, Mom?"

"Just turning out the lights."

Rory eyed her a bit strangely for a moment, then she grinned.

"What?" Luke asked her.

"I'll enlighten you outside," Rory said, leading the way.

Lorelai filed all her memories away. She brushed away a tear and gave the room a tremulous smile. Then, channeling her inner Mary Richards, she flicked off the lights and walked out the door for the last time.


	5. Voyage of the Damned

_Chapter 5: Voyage of the Damned_

Lorelai stared at the clock, willing the numbers to inch ahead just a minute more. One minute closer to dawn. One minute closer to when everything was going to finally get started.

Just one more minute.

She closed her eyes, opened them, and the clock ticked over to midnight.

She tossed away the duvet, throwing it over the end of the bed. Pushing into a sitting position, she began shaking Luke. "Wake up! C'mon, babe, wake up!"

"No," he muttered in a sleepy, petulant voice. He rolled onto his stomach, pressing his face into the pillow as he all but burrowed into it.

"Come on!" Lorelai pulled the covers off him as well, and he made a grab for them. She took the chance to leap out of bed and pulled him after her. He was forced to gain his feet, otherwise he'd fallen face first on the floor.

Lorelai grabbed his elbow and steered him toward the open door and the stairs.

"It's cold," he muttered.

"It's barely the beginning October, you big wuss."

"It's freezing. The floor's freezing. I'm not even wearing socks."

Lorelai ignored Luke all the way down the stairs, helped him shove his feet into shoes and tossed his jacket at him before guiding him to the Jeep. She pushed him into the passenger seat and was quite sure he'd already fallen back asleep before she headed back inside. In under 10 minutes, she led an equally sleepy and confused Rory out to the car and pushed her into the back seat. One more trip netted her own coat and the car keys.

"Why is this happening?" Rory whined as Lorelai backed out of the driveway. "My bed's getting further and further away." She rested her head on the passenger-side headrest. "Luke, do something."

"Nope. Sleeping," he muttered, his head resting against the window.

"Isn't it your job to keep Mom from doing this?"

"Thought it was yours."

"I took the first 18-year shift. It's your turn now. Besides, this is your fault for giving her back her car keys."

"Whine, whine," Lorelai all but sang as she turned down the road to the Dragonfly.

It was the perfect night. Well, a perfect night that didn't have snow in the forecast, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Lorelai scrambled out of the car, taking it in. This property, this beautiful, dilapidated, and abandoned property, was hers now. Well, hers and Sookie's. With a little bit of Michel and a little bit of Mia thanks to their investments.

In seven hours, Tom's crew would arrive to start the renovation work. She, Sookie, and Michel had spent the previous six weeks outlining the final plans. But she wanted to see it now, in the moonlight, in the moments before everything began. Saying goodbye to the Independence had been hard, but this was future. No more being stuck in the past. This was her dream, and she wanted to share it with the two people she loved most.

If they bothered to wake up.

"C'mon, out of the car," Lorelai said, yanking open both doors and prodding her little family until they flanked her outside the Jeep. She linked arms with them. "Look at it. It's going to be beautiful."

"My bed is beautiful," Rory lamented. "My pillow is even more beautiful. My duvet? Exquisite."

"In a few hours, we're going to break ground on the renovations. It's really happening. This is my dream, and it's coming true. I just wanted to see everything the way it is now, with both of you." Lorelai gave their arms a little squeeze and a shake to prevent them both from falling back asleep. "It had a long history before us, and it'll be here when we're all gone. But for now, this inn is letting us be a part of its narrative."

Rory narrowed her eyes at her. "You sound suspiciously like a Broadway musical."

"If she breaks into song and dance, you're on your own," Luke informed Rory.

"Lorelai!"

She craned her neck over her shoulder to see Sookie and Jackson getting out the car, Jackson looking only slightly more alert than Rory and Luke.

Sookie moved as fast as her advanced pregnancy would allow to Lorelai's side, grabbing her hands. "I couldn't sleep," she said excitedly. "I had to come, you know. Look at what we're going to do!"

"You too, huh?" Luke asked as Jackson joined them.

He shrugged. "She's pregnant. What can you do?"

"Hey, Mom," Rory said, approaching Lorelai. She turned in time to have her daughter engulf her in a huge hug. "I'm so proud of you," she said.

Lorelai swallowed past the lump in her throat, embracing Rory back. Then Rory pulled away, dangling Lorelai's car keys from where she stole them out of the pocket of her coat. "Got 'em!" She pivoted and tossed them to Luke, who neatly caught them. Then she ran around to the passenger side of the Jeep while he got in on the driver's side.

"What?" Lorelai gaped.

"We're going home," Luke informed her.

"We're going back to sleep," Rory added. "We love you, and I'm sure Sookie and Jackson will bring you back to the house when you're done bonding with the inn. We'll leave the light on for you."

Lorelai just stared after the Jeep as it started back toward the main road. "Where is the love?"

"Clearly back in bed," Jackson said. He held up his hands when Lorelai scowled at him.

Lorelai huffed and turned back to the Dragonfly, still beautiful in the moonlight. Grinches, she thought as she admired her inn.

* * *

Every Friday night that passed without orders for him to go to Friday night dinner was, in Luke's opinion, a good Friday night. Not so good for Lorelai, who gamely attended each one. He knew she wouldn't let Rory go alone, and damn she was a good mom.

For some reason, the Gilmores seemed to have forgotten him in the weeks since Rory started college, which suited Luke just fine. Not Lorelai. Every couple of days, she fretted and came up with bizarre conspiracy theory after bizarre conspiracy theory over the lack of her parents' insistence that he join them for dinner.

But to him, the frustrating part was that Lorelai had clammed up about those dinners completely, which told him that he had been the topic of conversation at one point or another. Lorelai used to trudge into the diner each Friday night and give him a detailed blow-by-blow of her night at Chez Gilmore, as she once called it, whether he wanted to hear it or not. Now all she did was lay her head on the counter and beg for coffee and/or sex depending on who was around. On the really bad nights, she didn't care about the company, which led to her propositioning Luke in front of Taylor. It was almost worth it to see Taylor turn an interesting shade of purple.

Luke actually missed her ramblings, and part of him worried that she was starting to close herself off to him like he had seen her do with previous boyfriends. He didn't want that. She was his best friend, damn it, and that wasn't going to change even if he had to fight with her to get her to see that.

It was ridiculous. They spent most of their free time together, and he enjoyed her company. He had talked her into a Red Sox game before the playoffs, and she even convinced him to go to the mall with her. He planned to suggest they spend a long weekend at the cabin together. He learned she hated horror movies but enjoyed going to them with her because she always burrowed into his side. It had helped they spent so much time together in Europe, and he wanted things to remain that good. That meant Lorelai needed to tell him what was actually going on during those dinners.

Or, he told himself, he could man up and just go to one.

He sighed and started to go through his closing checklist, knowing that Lorelai would be in shortly before he finished.

The familiar strains of the Stars Hollow High fight song, sung in loud, drunken voices, could be heard well before the group of boys stumbled through the front door of the diner. Luke winced, bracing himself for the onslaught of stupidity. Damn it, he _hated_ that fight song.

He set aside the salt shakers he'd been filling and slightly regretted sending Denise home early. But her parents had driven up from Georgia, and he knew she wanted to spend extra time with them.

The pack came through the front door all at once, Dean Forester at the center, and he suddenly remembered what weekend it was. He'd been doing his best to avoid staring at the town square as it became a tulle-frosted monstrosity. And hell, apparently he was the next stage on their bachelor party tour of Stars Hollow.

They stumbled to the counter, completely soused on cheap beer, and Luke in good consciousness couldn't send them back out despite Kyle now being a Navy man and the only sober person in the room besides himself. He edged toward the kitchen to start making pancakes while the boys debated the merits of prostitutes vs. strippers when Dean began muttering under his breath. He happened to be the closest to Luke, and when he realized what the word he kept repeating was, his chest tightened.

 _Oh, Rory_ , he thought helplessly as Dean mumbled under his breath about the virtues of a woman who definitely wasn't the person he was about to walk down the aisle with.

He wasn't sure how he managed to talk the group into breaking up the party, but he maintained custody of Dean in the process. He wrestled Dean up the stairs and into Jess' old bed as Dean rambled on about Rory. He couldn't stand the kid, especially over how he treated Rory, but something hurt in the way that Dean lamented over his lost love.

"Making such a stupid mistake," Luke muttered to the passed-out Dean and went downstairs.

He walked into the dining area just as Lorelai came through the door. She slumped on her favorite stool, burying her head in her hands as he grabbed the remaining coffee and poured it out for her.

"I need you to give me some sort of quirky anecdote to put my night in perspective and get me out of my funk," Lorelai sighed and accepted the mug. She frowned at him. "What's wrong?"

"Dean's upstairs."

Lorelai straightened. "Dean? Why's he upstairs?"

He drummed his fingers on the countertop, then finally heaved a sigh. "Look, he came in here about an hour ago. Part of his bachelor party tour or something. Had a couple of guy friends, all drunk off their asses. He fell asleep at the counter … and started talking about Rory."

Lorelai just blinked at him, but he knew she heard every word. "Oh," she finally managed, and it summed up his own feelings.

"He wouldn't stop. I got the other guys out of here and Dean upstairs. He can sleep it off in the bed up there. But … Aw man, Lorelai, he said she was the one." He rocked back on his heels as Lorelai gaped at him.

"Like … _the One_ the One?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh my God." Lorelai pushed her coffee aside. "He's getting married. Tomorrow!"

"Yeah."

"And he's still pining for Rory."

"He asked me why she didn't love him."

"What are we going to do?"

It wasn't lost on him how she phrased it, and despite the situation, something warm curled in his stomach. They were a unit, determined to shield Rory from the ugliness of the world. "Rory can't go to that wedding."

She pushed off the stool, heading for the stairs to the apartment. "There _can't_ be a wedding at all!"

He barely managed to intercept her before she started the climb, pulling her back into the dining area and away from Dean. "Lorelai …"

"How could we possibly let that wedding go on knowing this? That he's getting married and still in love with my daughter?"

"Because it's none of our business!"

"But-"

Luke gestured toward the dolled-up town square. "Look, if you go running over there to stop that wedding, all you're gonna do is put Rory in a rough spot. Folks in this town, they're not gonna care that Dean's making the stupidest decision possible. All they're gonna see if you inserting yourself into it, and the backlash is going to come back on Rory." His voice gentled. "It's not our business, Lorelai. The best we can do is keep Rory away from that wedding. Give it some time. They're young, and he's going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning."

She hugged herself, staring at the floor. "I never thought he could be so selfish."

No, he thought. Dean was always that selfish. Lorelai just was finally seeing it. Luke rubbed her arms and kissed her forehead. "I'm gonna stay here tonight. I can't really leave him alone."

"No, of course you can't leave him," she agreed.

"Look … most of the town's gonna be at that wedding. Why don't I close for the day and we can take Rory to do something she wants to do. Anything she wants."

"She'd like that. You softie." It finally drew a smile from her.

"Wait here while I call Denise and Lane, then I can walk you home."

Lorelai shook her head. "No, I need some time to think." But she waited as he made the calls, then walked her back to the door so he could lock it back after her. She looked up thoughtfully at him as he held it open, eyes unreadable as she carefully searched his face. He offered her a small smile and moved in to kiss her good night, knowing he wasn't going to sleep well at all.

"Do you want to move in with me?"

Luke immediately straightened, shocked. "Sorry?"

"I mean officially." Lorelai fiddled with the strap of her purse, not quite meeting his eyes. "Change of address forms, combining furniture, redecorating, sharing a closet and a dresser, that sort of thing? I know we've only been dating a few months. Three to be exact, not like I was counting or had it marked on a calendar. Technically almost four if you count from the day you flew to Paris and not just when we were in Rome." She stopped to breathe, and this time her eyes did meet his. "But you're there all the time anyhow, and I know we're moving really fast, but if you think about it, we've known each other for seven years prior to this and that really helped put the kibosh on the whole awkward getting-to-know you stage and-"

Luke just stared, any ability to speak well and truly lost. "What?" he managed after a moment.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Oh. Sorry, opened my mouth, shoved my foot down into my stomach. Forget it, I'll just-" She pulled away from him, walking down the stairs to the sidewalk and he finally remembered how to move.

"No. Aw, geez, wait." He quickly caught up to her, drawing her around to face him. "Look, you and me … we know where this is going."

Lorelai huffed. "I don't know. Where is this going?"

She wasn't that dim. Luke searched for the words, wished they came as easily for him as it did for her. He held her hands, his thumb rubbing the bare third finger on her left one. They were small, smooth, and pale. His nails were stubble-short and the calluses were rough against her skin. "One day I'm gonna ask you the question. The really big question. The one I don't dare breathe out loud because the walls have ears and it'll be all over town before tomorrow morning." He squeezed them and looked at her, really looked at her. The shock in her eyes mirrored his own. "But I'm going to ask you one day. I really hope you'll say yes."

Lorelai's smile was tremulous, and he knew what she would say if he asked her to marry him that very second.

He very nearly did.

She deserved better.

"I've been on my own for a long time," Luke continued. "You and Rory … you're my family. I haven't had a family in years."

"Yes, you have. You've had a family for seven years." She tilted her head. "Are you scared?"

Yes. Scared shitless, thank you for noticing.

"Tell me something. When you go upstairs in a few minutes, will you be able to sleep tonight? Because you and I have a horrible track record in that area at the moment."

"No," he admitted.

"Neither will I. And it's not because of sex. It's just you're not home. You're already 90% there. I want the other 10%. When you're ready."

He once told Lorelai how Rachel moving the milk in his refrigerator had bothered him. It had been the culmination of a series of events as Rachel encroached on his life, trying to find a place in it once more when he had already moved on.

Luke could never find the milk in Lorelai's refrigerator. Every time he opened the door, it was in a new location. It even got into the freezer at one point, along with the fennel he had bought at Trader Joe's in August. How that got in there, he really didn't want to know.

Lorelai's own brand of madness had even spread to his apartment. He couldn't honestly say what shelf his milk was on at the moment, or even if he had milk at all. And he really didn't mind.

"OK. Let's do this," Luke told her, and felt something deep in him crumble away.

* * *

Rory knew what was up the moment she opened the door to see her mother and Luke on the doorstep, her mother animatedly talking a mile a minute while she hunted down Rory's coat. She knew full and well what day it was. There was a reason she hadn't gone back to Stars Hollow that weekend, and she even had a very rigid schedule outlined for herself. But she let her mother bundle her up, and they all trooped back to the truck where they informed her the day was hers to with do as she liked.

It's Dean and Lindsay's business if they want to marry so they can have stupid sex, Rory wanted to scream. But she was a Gilmore, and she knew how to don the social mask needed to get through the day.

But then they turned the reins over to Rory, and with the world at her fingertips, she chose New York City. Dean could get married if he wanted. Rory was going to the Strand.

They drove until they were just north of the city, then switched to the Metro North trains, which they took to Grand Central Terminal. From there, it was a subway ride and a short walk until Rory stood among five stories of books and felt every joint in her body loosen.

"Just come back for me in three weeks," she informed her mother. "We lost Luke."

"He found his Trekkie roots," she whispered, pointing outside. "There's a geek store two doors down."

Rory laughed, happy when it was genuine. "And what is my mommy going to do while I destroy her credit card?"

"Go to that Pret a Manger across the street and relive the good times. You know, from when Mommy's purse got stolen in Paris."

"Is this before or after you heckle Luke about his life choices?"

"Who says I ever stopped?" Lorelai pressed a kiss to the top of Rory's head. She rubbed Rory's arm, looking like she was about to say something, then pushed gently at her. "Go and shop, offspring. Try to leave something in your college fund."

Rory hummed under her breath and turned to a nearby display featuring feminist authors. She snagged the first book in sight, flipped through it, then hunted down a basket.

Lorelai ran across the street and got her coffee, then double-backed to the Forbidden Planet. Her nose wrinkled just a bit as she stepped inside and stared at all the merchandise. Comics and sci-fi were beyond her scope, though there were some cute coffee mugs along one of the walls. She didn't have to look far to find Luke, gazing at a statue of Jean-Luc Picard intensely before shaking his head and stepping back, nearly stomping on her feet.

"Hey, cute toesies here!" She danced out of the way, nearly taking out a display behind her before inching back to his side. She tapped the glass. " _Star Trek_ , right?"

"Next Generation. You get a cookie."

"What about that one?" Lorelai pointed to the statute of a man in a fedora with a long, multicolored scarf. She dug the scarf.

" _Doctor Who,_ " Luke told her. "They just announced they're doing a revival of it. Filming it next year, and it'll air in 2005."

Lorelai's brow furrowed. "I totally understood everything you just told me."

He chuckled. "No, you don't."

"Did you want it?" She tapped the glass above the fedora figure.

Luke frowned. "What would I do with it?"

"Put it on the table next to the Monkey Lamp?" She nudged his side. "Go on, buy something frivolous that isn't a fishing pole. Embrace your inner nerd. I think those Star Trek shirts over there come in your size."

"I just bought a computer last month," Luke complained.

"Business expense. Come on. It can be something small."

They emerged from the store with a shopping bag and, on Lorelai's part, a need for more coffee.

She peeked into the bag as they walked down the sidewalk. "And that is?"

"A Starfury from _Babylon 5_ ," Luke explained.

She wrinkled her nose. "Never heard of it."

"Which is why I got these." He pulled a DVD boxset out of the bag.

"Wow, adding to our collection. You're already getting into the spirit of this moving in thing!"

As they walked past an open door, they saw a blonde woman at a bar cheerfully chatting with customers. Luke glanced toward the bar, then did a double take, drawing to a complete halt as people pushed past him on the sidewalk. Lorelai was several feet ahead before realizing she lost him again, and she quickly doubled back, taking a look at the sign.

"Burp Castle. You want a drink? We've got at least another six hours, and that's before Rory's done with the first floor."

"No." He walked into the bar.

The blonde woman stopped chatting with her customer as they walked in. "Hey, what can I …" Her blue eyes, which looked familiar to Lorelai, went wide. "Ohmigod! Hey, brother!"

 _Brother?_ Lorelai's jaw dropped as Luke gaped at her. "You're working in a bar?"

The woman rushed around the bar as Lorelai frantically tried to remember Luke's sister's name. Liz? Maybe it was Liz. She hoped it was Liz, otherwise she was going to have a very awkward moment.

The woman threw herself at Luke, which made Lorelai grin. "What brings you to New York? Looking good here! Who'd you bring with you?"

"Why are you working in a bar?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Because it gives me a paycheck."

Luke gestured at the array of drinks behind the counter. "You're a recovering alcoholic! It'd be like allowing Lorelai to work at Starbucks."

"I resemble that remark!" Lorelai retorted.

The woman turned to her, all smiles, and gave her an embrace that made Lorelai think that awkward, yet loving hugs ran in the Danes family. "Lorelai? You're Lorelai? Rory's mom! I'm Liz, Jess' mom. Oh, and related to that guy." She jerked a thumb at Luke, who was lost in his rant.

"How could you possibly work around all this alcohol and not be tempted? Isn't that against the whole AA thing?"

"Never misses up the chance for a good rant. We can just leave him be," Liz said, hooking an arm through Lorelai's. "Wanna drink?"

"Coffee?"

"Oh yeah. I always keep a pot on. Get my beans from a nearby shop and grind them myself. It's almost as good as Luke's coffee. I never quite got how a guy who hates coffee so much can make it so well, but our dad loved it," Liz explained, leading Lorelai to the bar. She quickly grabbed the pot and two mugs. "Isn't this place cool? I started doing the whole SCA thing a few years back and really got into it, then found the job here. I want to go on the Renn Faire circuit next summer with my boyfriend. His name's TJ, and he's the night bartender. The owner lets me sell jewelry on the side." She nudged an earring tree near the register toward Lorelai.

"This is really nice!" And they really were. The stones weren't ostentatious, and the designs were complex, yet had a simplicity about them that made them suitable for most situations. Lorelai found herself fingering a pair of earrings with a bit of longing, but had already resigned herself to signing her entire shopping budget over to Rory for the day. Maybe she could cut a deal with Liz and sell them at the Dragonfly once it opened.

"Yeah, I've got a knack for it. So, tell me how are things in Stars Hollow?" Liz asked, reaching for a rag to wipe down the counter. The movement reminded her so much of Luke that Lorelai laughed softly into her coffee. Liz was right. It was almost, but not quite good as Luke's.

Before she could regal Liz with tales from Stars Hollow, Luke whipped around, finally noticing that his audience had abandoned him. "Have you even heard from Jess?"

Liz gave a shrug. "A few times. He stayed for awhile with his dad before deciding to move on, and he's doing OK. He asked me not to tell you. I'm sorry. I'm trying to rebuild some sort of relationship with him."

He marched up to the bar. "Did he tell you he didn't even bother saying good-bye to Rory before he left?"

"It's none of my business."

"Unbelievable." Luke groaned, turning away. Lorelai decided it was not the time to remind him that he literally said the same thing to her about Dean and Rory the night before.

"How's Rory doing?" Liz asked Lorelai. "She sounds like such a nice girl. Really, the both of them, that's all they ever talk about is you and Rory whenever I get them on the phone. It's been two years since I saw this guy."

"Three," Luke bit out.

"She's over at the Strand," Lorelai told Liz. "As long as we ship her regular food and coffee, she's good for at least a week."

Liz sighed happily. "I love that place. Hey, Luke, did you check out the Forbidden Planet nearby? Oh, and he's off," she said as Luke stalked across the bar to inspect the exposed pipes.

Lorelai slid off her stool, regretfully leaving her coffee behind as he went over the pipes, then started in on the heating vents. He fished some sort of multi-tool out of his pocket and pulled out the screwdriver. "What are you doing?" she asked, sotto voce.

"Fixing this." Luke started testing the screws on the vent, then squinted to see if there was any dust inside.

"Babe." Lorelai laid her hand on his arm, but he shrugged it off.

"This can't be up to code. Is this place up to code?" Luke yelled over his shoulder.

"Come on now, hand me your screwdriver." Lorelai bit back the "dirty" that leaped to her tongue, but he tucked the tool away once he was satisfied the vent was on securely. She all but wrestled him back to the bar, knowing he was about five seconds away from either exploding or sulking.

"Hey, why don't we have dinner?" Liz suggested. "You can meet my fella. He's got the day off, and there's this great little Victorian-themed place on the other side of the park."

"We've got to be getting Rory back to Yale," Luke said too quickly.

Liz's face fell just a bit, but she kept smiling. "What about a late lunch?"

"It's gonna take time to get her out of the bookstore. Sorry," he bit out.

Lorelai didn't think about the words before she said them and knew immediately it was going to lead to a fight with Luke. And, quite frankly, she didn't care. "Why don't you bring TJ up to Stars Hollow for Thanksgiving?"

Liz's face brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah! Rory and I do this circuit of the town, and we can all eat together at the diner." Ignoring that Luke went suddenly still at her shoulder, Lorelai dug in her purse for a notepad and pen. She scribbled down her address and phone number, handing the paper over to Liz. "Call me next month, and we can find you a place to crash while you're there if you don't want to go back the same day."

"Thanks!" Liz beamed at Lorelai, then turned shining eyes to her brother. "I like her," she informed him, ignoring his stormy expression. She gave Lorelai a thoughtful look, then snagged a pair of earrings from the tree next to the register. It was the same pair that Lorelai had been playing with a few minutes earlier. "Here, take these."

"I can't …"

"Yes, you can," Liz insisted, giving her a shrug that looked very much like her brother's when he was attempting to shrug off good deeds of his own. She leaned in so only Lorelai could hear. "He hates this city so much. If he came here with you, that means he's gotta love you."

Probably not so much at the moment, Lorelai surmised as they said their good-byes to Liz and left the bar. And, quite frankly, she wasn't too thrilled with him either. Anger bubbled up inside her as she marched ahead of Luke, not quite caring if he followed or not. She stormed to the end of the block and across the street to Union Square Park, where people streamed out of the subway stop. She made her way past them, seeing the coffee cart nearby. But her feet wasn't carrying her toward the life-giving caffeine, and that's when she knew she was too furious for coffee.

Lorelai rounded about, nearly stumbling over Luke, who had been right at her heels. "What the hell were you doing in there?" he demanded.

"Acting like a human being to your sister, which is better than what you were doing. What the hell is wrong with you, Luke?"

"There's nothing wrong with me!" he yelled.

She placed a hand on her hip. "No? That's your sister, and she was so happy to see you! And you're acting like the Grinch before everyone in Whoville begins singing."

"You shoulda asked me before inviting Liz up for Thanksgiving!"

Lorelai threw her hands in the air. "Just because we're in a relationship doesn't mean I'm no longer capable of independent thought!"

He jabbed his finger in her face in a move both of them knew pissed her off to no end. "That sure's the truth! You were only thinking about how you feel, not about me or how I would feel!"

"I was thinking about how Liz was standing there looking like a kicked puppy because she was trying to include you in her life, and you were acting terrible to her! I have every right to invite her into _my_ home."

"Just 18 hours ago, you were wanting to make it _our_ home. What is it, Lorelai? Yours or ours? You can't have it both ways!"

"That has nothing to do with this!" Lorelai shot at him.

Luke ignored her. "What if I invited your parents for dinner without asking you? Huh?"

She'd be furious. Betrayed. And the first pinches of guilt tugged at Lorelai, and she tried to cling to her anger. "It doesn't explain the way you were treating your sister!"

"Just stay out of it, Lorelai. It's none of your business." Luke pushed past her, and fury reared its ugly head.

"Oh no, pal," she called after him. "You don't get to play that card with me. If you take on my parents and my kid, I take on your sister. You want my home to be our home? That means your family and my family become _our_ family. That's the whole package. If you don't want it, then we're not ready to move in together or do any of this."

Lorelai spun on her heel, storming away before Luke could turn around and see the tears in her eyes.

She wasn't surprised when he didn't follow.

—

Rory gaped at Lorelai from across the display of books as Lorelai relayed everything that happened at the bar and the fight after.

"Wow."

"Yeah." Lorelai found herself staring down at a stack of assorted books and absently wondered if it was Rory's keep or reject pile. Guilt tugged at her anew. She was used to venting about relationship issues with Rory, this time it was Luke. Startled, she realized it was their first fight since they were in Rome, and that fight wasn't anything compared to this one. Honeymoon's over, she thought a bit sadly. "Hey, if this is too weird for you …"

Rory quickly shook her head. "No, no, it's not." She reconsidered, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. "Well, maybe just a little."

"Sorry, kid. We were trying to get you to avoid drama with one ex and dragged you into our drama."

Rory shrugged. "Yeah, but you two are dating. You wouldn't be all lovey dovey forever. This would have happened at some point."

Lorelai drummed the book pile in front of her. "So, what's the damage? Is this what you're getting?"

"No, that's the reject pile."

"And how much longer do you expect to be?"

"Ten … minutes? Maybe 30. Two hours at the most!" Rory flipped open one book and stared at it, not quite reading the pages. "Do you want to go now?"

"No. I think I just want coffee."

"What do you want me to tell Luke if he comes in here?"

"Whatever you want," Lorelai said tiredly, then headed back out of the bookstore.

—

The bar was still empty when Luke walked back in, Liz hunched over something on the counter. He hesitated by the door, words clogging his throat as he took her in. His sister, looking far older than her years because of the drugs and alcohol she had turned to in her teens and 20s. For the first time, he let himself see Liz as Lorelai had - not someone who had taken all her problems and thrown them at his feet for him to solve, but as a sibling who missed him.

There was no way that Lorelai could understand the grief and worry Liz had given him over the years. And how each time he allowed himself to believe that they could have a normal sibling relationship, she would do something to throw their lives into an uproar. Lorelai didn't know that Liz hadn't even made their father's funeral. She had gotten high and accidentally slept through it, ignoring the frantic phone calls he made until the moment it was too late.

Liz looked up from the counter. "You're back!"

He shrugged, approaching the bar. "Yeah, I just …" He saw what Liz was looking at, and his throat closed again.

The black and white photo, battered nearly beyond recognition, was the last family photo they'd ever taken together. He'd been what … 10? 11? He spent years looking for it, not realizing that Liz had taken it. He leaned over the bar to study their young faces. "I was wondering where it was," he murmured.

"Want it back?"

"No. No, keep it. I was just curious."

They studied the photo together. "I'm sorry," Liz said quietly.

"No, I behaved like an ass earlier," Luke admitted.

"Luke." She said his name quietly and with such emotion, he found himself staring into the eyes that mirrored his own. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "About everything."

His gut churned. "You don't have to-"

"That's what they tell you in AA. Been so many times, but didn't actually get it until recently. You know, make a list of all the people we hurt, make amends. It's what I've been doing with Jess." Liz fished under the counter for her purse, then pulled a small notebook out of it. She flipped it open and showed it to him. There was a lengthy list of people, but written on the very top line together was his name and Jess. "Took a few years for it to sink in finally, y'know? TJ, he has a really nice family. It made me miss ours. I was trying to figure out a way to reach out, not make it seem like I was wanting a handout. I'm not sure where to start."

He stared at his hands, resting near the photo. "You can start by coming up next month," he said gruffly, addressing the picture of his family as it had once been.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You can stay in the apartment if you want. The one I built above the diner. Lorelai and I are planning to move in together." Provided she still wanted to live together, and he hadn't totally screwed everything up. Even if he had, there was still the extra bed that had belonged to Jess and the sofa. He'd make it work.

"I like her," Liz said with a bright smile.

Luke found himself smiling back. "I like her too."

"More than like, huh?" Liz teased.

"Geez," he muttered, trying hard not to blush and failing.

"Jess hurt her daughter, didn't he?" Liz asked quietly.

"He did. But it's not your fault, Liz."

Liz nodded and put the photo back in her purse. "Hey, wanna drink?"

Luke needed to find Lorelai and make amends with her. But he found himself sliding onto the stool. "Sure."

Liz beamed and pulled down a clean mug. "So, I got this postcard from you over the summer from Europe. How'd you wind up over there?"

—

An hour later, Luke found Rory in the back of the first floor of the Strand, tucked among the fiction books. She had commandeered part of a sales display, where she had books sorted into two stacks.

"How's it going?" he asked as he took in the towering stacks. He tried to remember how much bookshelf space Rory had. Not nearly enough, he surmised, and added drafting another bookcase for her to his to-do list.

"Well, this is the almost but not quite stack." Rory tapped the stack on her left. "And this is the maybe definitely unless I find something better stack." The stack on her right was slightly taller than the "almost" stack.

She gave a frustrated huff and placed her hands on her hips. She shook her head. "I'm stalling." She divided the "maybe definitely" stack in half and tucked the books in her arms.

"No, get the whole thing," Luke told her.

"I can't. It's too much money."

"Just get them."

Rory frowned. "You're not going to pay for these."

Luke simply relieved her of the stack of books in her arms.

"You feel sorry for me, and you feel guilty about fighting with Mom," Rory accused as he plopped the books back on top of the leftovers in the maybe definitely stack and lifted the entire thing.

"I'm taking advantage of this, you know, Daddy Warbucks." Rory grabbed the almost stack and followed him to the line for the register.

"Where is your mom?" Luke asked her they joined the end of the queue.

"Probably sulking into a coffee cup." Rory gave him a pointed look that clearly said "it's your fault, so make it better." She wasn't wrong. "Try that Pret A Manager across the street or the park," she finally said. "You OK?"

"I should be asking you that."

"I'm fine," Rory said, and both of them almost believed it. "But next time you let me be in charge of a day trip, we're going to Boston and hurling ourselves into the harbor like we're trying to be crates of tea. Mom's always wanted to do that."

That brought a brief chuckle, and they inched forward in line. Luke pulled out his credit card after they reached the register and put the books on the counter. He handed it to Rory, then left the store to try to make amends with Lorelai.

—

Lorelai sipped from the cup of cold fresh-pressed apple cider she had bought from a vendor at the small farmer's market that ringed the outside of Union Square Park. Sookie and Jackson, she thought, would love this. A small farmer's market had existed in Stars Hollow long enough to drive Taylor insane, but it wasn't a bad idea to have one on a permanent basis. She drank more from her cup and wished the cider was alcoholic. A headache pressed behind her temples, and she really didn't want to resume her fight with Luke or deal with a sad Rory.

She found Luke standing outside of one of the stalls that sold flowers, staring at them with grim determination, a coffee cup in his hand. Her heart slowly rolled over in her chest. There he was, her guy, with coffee he loathed in one hand and contemplating flowers. She highly doubt he had ever bought a woman flowers.

She decided to save him the humiliation.

She pressed her cheek against his arm. "That for me?" she asked, motioning to the coffee cup.

He relaxed. "Yeah."

"Switch." She handed him the cider and took the coffee. "Makeup coffee?"

"You could say that."

"You were thinking flowers, weren't you? You softie." Lorelai motioned to the cup he held. "It's cider. From real apples. You're safe to drink it. I even watch them strain it."

Luke chuckled and took a sip. "I like cider."

"Huh. Want to buy some to take home?"

"Sure."

They wound up with a bag filled with vegetables, some hard cheeses, and a gallon of the cider. They slowly made their way back toward the bookstore.

"You're right," Luke admitted as they passed the statue of the Marquis de Lafayette, taking the long route around the park. "About all of it. About it being our family, not yours and mine. I'm sorry."

"No, I should've stayed out if it." Lorelai leaned into him. "I'm sorry, too."

"I'm glad you didn't," Luke said. He pitched the empty cider cup into a nearby garbage can. "I went back and talked to Liz."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Sure it won't be a problem with Rory if she comes up?"

"You're right about it. It's not Liz's fault that Jess did what he did." Lorelai gave him a wry smile. "Like it's not your fault either. Learned that lesson the hard way."

Because he didn't want to think back to that horrible fight, because he needed it more than he needed his next breath, Luke leaned in and kissed her. The bag thumped to their feet as he drew her into him, not caring they were in the middle of goddamn New York. He just needed to feel her in his arms, to know that everything was going to be OK between them.

"Wow," Lorelai breathed as they broke apart at the sound of catcalls from a group of men playing chess nearby. She gave Luke her most flirty smile, and he nearly sank to his knees in relief. "You should keep apologizing like that. Tonight, in the bedroom."

"Count on it," he vowed and picked up the grocery bag.

—

What a day.

They got back to the Crap Shack not long after midnight, and Luke congratulated himself on his foresight to have Cesar and Lane open the diner the next morning. Rummaging through Lorelai's dryer revealed a clean T-shirt and pair of boxer briefs, and that was good enough to fall face first into bed with. Their plans for makeup sex had to be shelved, as Lorelai fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. He didn't mind. He was exhausted himself, and there was something to be said for morning makeup sex.

He let his mind drift, going back over the bizarre 24 hours. Had it been just a day since Dean had stumbled drunk into the diner? It felt like a year. The lack of decent sleep the previous night hadn't helped. Bits of conversation swirled through his mind. That bar in New York? Still a death trap. He didn't care that it had excellent reviews and that it had passed every safety inspection with flying colors. Where was Liz living? It couldn't be any worse than that hellhole in the Bronx she had back in the early 90s.

Suddenly, one snippet of conversation from the bar leaped into the front of his brain, and he shot up in bed, taking the covers with him. "Sonofa …" Cutting himself off, he threw them back and grabbed his jeans. He shoved his feet into tennis shoes without bothering with socks.

"Wha?" Lorelai muttered sleepily as he ran from the room. "Luke? What the hell?"

He heard her scrambling out of bed, but didn't stop to wait. He was already out the door and powering down the sidewalk. The old storage unit his father rented from Mrs. Thompson for nearly as long as he'd been alive was just a couple blocks away, and he knew she could sleep through anything. Which turned out to be the issue as he strode up the drive and saw that the lock had been cut from the door. He shoved it open, but he already knew what he was going to find.

Or not find.

Luke heard the crunch of lighter footsteps on gravel and Lorelai's panting. "You have a storage building?"

"My dad rented this space," he sighed.

Lorelai reached his side and pointed at the hulking shape on one side. "You have a boat!"

"It was my dad's. Never finished it though."

She nodded to the other side, where an empty space was. "What was here?"

"There? That was where Jess' car was."

"You're the one who stole his car?" Lorelai gasped.

"You think someone actually wanted to steal that piece of junk?"

She rested her hands on her hips, winging an eyebrow at him. "Clearly since it's now missing."

"There's only one person on this planet who'd want it." Luke heaved the door shut and sighed. He'd have to get a new lock in the morning. "Let's just go home."

He was grateful that Lorelai didn't bother to have him clarify who he was referring to. She fell into step with him as they made their way down the dark streets toward the Crap Shack. "Do you think Jess will make it very far?"

"If he doesn't, it's not my problem."

* * *

 _Author's note: I took a little liberty with the New York setting. The descriptions of where various stores are located is actually taken from my current travels into the city, not 2004. But it's not much different. Forbidden Planet used to be across the street where the Pret a Manger now is but is now two stores down from the Strand. Everything else is pretty accurate to the time, except I couldn't find out what year Burp Castle (yes, it's real) opened. It was at least open in 2005, so it wouldn't be that far off._

 _Disclaimer: Any recognizable dialogue in this chapter has been borrowed from various season 4 and 5 scripts._


	6. Forest of the Dead

_Disclaimer: Any recognizable dialogue in this chapter comes from various episodes of season 4_

* * *

 _Chapter 6: Forest of the Dead_

Veterans Day had an entirely new meaning for Lorelai Gilmore.

For most of the world, it was a solemn day of remembrance, of celebrating those who had served their country. For her, it was a day of covertly planning balloons and cakes and presents and everything else she could afford on a shoestring budget. Heavy emphasis on the shoestring part. It helped that Sookie was already starting to grow antsy in the days after Davey's birth and begged to still bake the cake. When Lorelai turned her down, Sookie had done so anyhow. It was hidden in the last place the recipient would think to look - under the very bed they slept in.

It surprised Lorelai that she had gone for years without realizing when Luke's birthday was. The diner was closed every year on Veterans Day, but so were most businesses in town. She assumed that he closed for the same reason, because she vaguely remembered him mentioning that his dad had served in World War II. She knew he was a Scorpio, but Liz had come through on the rest. A subtle call to his sister not long after the New York trip had resulted in the precious information that Lorelai needed, and she had begun to plan.

She had presents for him, though they weren't elaborate. She turned to the same crafting skills that had gotten her through Rory's childhood and spent hours at Sookie's furiously finishing a scarf and a pair of socks. They weren't much, but Luke had expressed admiration at her knitting while they were in Europe, and she already had his measurements. She also wanted to steal his old green jacket and do some repair work on it, but that would have to wait. She wanted one gift that wasn't clothing and blew the rest of her budget on the second _Babylon 5_ DVD boxset.

They hadn't gotten around to watching the first set yet. The rest of October had been spent combining two households, which had been far more work on Lorelai's part than Luke's. He didn't have much, but it was enough to where they had to figure out a way to cram everything into her overly small closet. Her extra clothes had gone downstairs in Rory's mostly vacant closet, to be dealt with hopefully before Rory was home for the summer. But it was clear that the Crap Shack needed some remodeling work to accommodate the lives of three people. The bathroom wasn't large enough for both of them, and it gave her heart a small jolt every time she saw his cologne and shampoo among her things.

It wasn't a bad jolt.

The kitchen had transformed entirely. It was actually _used_. The first week had been spent with Luke scolding Lorelai over the abysmal shape of the room before chasing her out of the house and completely scrubbing it from top to bottom himself. Most men, Lorelai thought, had a man cave. Her father's was his office. Clearly the kitchen was going to be Luke's. There were now spices and utensils and cookbooks. She once thought he memorized everything he did, but she found several well-worn recipes for staples she'd grown used to eating tacked up on a small corkboard he installed next to the stove.

She gratefully surrendered the grocery shopping to him, provided he kept an ample supply of junk food, of course. He complained every step of the way, but the stuff she wanted usually found its way into the cabinets. But he had to make a point. Lorelai would pull down a box of Pop Tarts only to find Luke had stacked oranges next to the tarts. "Eat those with this," a Post-It note instructed.

How very cute, Lorelai thought fondly and left the oranges.

On the morning of November 11, she woke up early, ready to put "Operation Birthday" into motion. She touched the mattress next to her and found it cold. She frowned. Luke had reminded her the night before that the diner would be closed, but she didn't expect not to find him in bed. He hadn't said he was going out fishing or up to the cabin. He hadn't said _anything_. Baffled, she checked the bathroom then wandered downstairs.

The coffeemaker was set the way he always did before he went to the diner, with ground beans ready and the correct amount of water in the reservoir. This time, a yellow Post-It like the ones attached to her junk food was stuck to the side of the machine. Lorelai peeled it off, frowning as she read, _Gone out for the day. Will be back later._

"OK," Lorelai said to the empty room, drawling out the syllables. Her heart gave a couple hard knocks when she saw the cell phone sitting next to Sadie on the table. It wasn't hers, which mean it had to be his. Which meant he either forgot it or didn't want to be found.

Lorelai switched on the coffeemaker and sat at the table, absently leaning over to wake up computer. The screensaver disappeared to reveal her copy of iCal open on the desktop. November 11 was surrounded by asterisks.

What the hell? Why did Luke disappear on his birthday? She knew he wasn't the biggest fan of them, but he knew that she loved celebrating them. Surely the dots had connected in his mind. She filled a mug with coffee and plopped back in her chair. She drank and wracked her brain. It wasn't the big 4-0. Not quite yet. That wasn't for another two years. Was there some sort of bizarre ritual he observed on his birthday? Sacrifice the hair of a goat? No, that wasn't Luke. Lorelai closed her eyes, and suddenly she saw Mia standing at the airport, giving Lorelai her farewell.

 _"I think you should know. Bill died on November 11, 1989."_

"Oh. _Oh_." Lorelai put the Post-It back on the table and ran upstairs to throw on clothes.

When she walked outside, the truck still sat next to the Jeep in the driveway. It meant wherever Luke was, he hadn't driven to get there, and that made Lorelai's life a lot easier. She spent the next hour wandering over Stars Hollow until the obvious struck her. So she detoured to the florist then headed to the cemetery.

And there he was, sitting before a large double gravestone, knees drawn into his chest as he rested his chin atop them. She hesitated on the approach. She had never seen him looking so sad, so lost. Liz had called a couple times since New York, and the conversation between the siblings was always a bit stilted. There was a history there that Lorelai only knew the absolute basics about. It was funny. Luke knew everything about the twisted mess her family was, but he had shielded his from her eyes.

There were catalysts in every family that affected the members of it, and as far as Lorelai could guess, it was the death of Luke's mother that shattered his entire family. Whatever wedges had been driven into it were further deepened by his father's prolonged death from cancer. She knew Liz had Jess young, had experimented with drugs and alcohol. She constantly used her brother to bail her out of rough situations, the last and biggest being him taking in Jess.

She almost left him to his memories, but then his head turned and his eyes looked straight into hers. So she squared her shoulders and walked to his side. Her shoes made small squishing sounds as she crossed the grass and bent over to untwist the vase set into the ground before the gravestone. She turned it upright, secured it, then arranged the flowers in it before taking a seat next to Luke. He just stared at her, and the words flooded out.

"So, I looked all over town for you. Looked in that garage, crawled through the boat just in case you were tempted to pull a Sylvia Plath or something. You've got to clean it, I think they're staging an _Alien_ remake in there. I know you weren't at the diner, but I checked the apartment anyhow. There's a Jess in the spare bed so I poured a glass of water on him and fled. Then I decided bam, check the cemetery, and here I am."

Luke winged an eyebrow. "Did you say Jess is in my apartment and you poured a glass of water on him?"

"On his crotch."

He gaped at her. "Lorelai!"

"He hurt my kid. He hurt _you_. He hasn't begun to see my wrath yet." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Is this what you do every year?"

He scooted closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Sometimes. Sometimes I go to the cabin for a few days. I disappear. I shoulda told you before now. We're in a relationship, we're _living_ together. You deserve more than a Post-It note on the coffeemaker."

"It's nice to know you think more of me than Jack Berger did of Carrie Bradshaw."

He didn't bother to check the cultural reference. "I've never told anyone before. I don't like to talk about it."

"I sorta guessed that."

"You didn't have to do that." He nodded to the vase of flowers.

She shrugged. "You visit a grave, you bring flowers. Some things my mother pounded into my head actually stuck." She craned her neck at him. "Are you doing OK?"

"It doesn't seem so bad this year," he admitted.

"Going to sulk the entire day?"

"Not this time."

"You've got presents waiting."

He flushed. "Aw, geez."

Lorelai rubbed his leg. "This explains why I keep missing your birthday. I wasn't forgetting it, you just weren't around. I set myself six reminders this year, which probably means Sadie has run out of battery because I'm not home to dismiss the alerts. Double whammy for you, huh?"

"I didn't even realize it at the time. I actually think it was the day of the funeral when I realized I missed my own birthday."

"Well now you have presents, a Sookie-made cake, a girlfriend wearing some racy lingerie, and a nephew in a water-logged bed." Lorelai frowned. "Why would Jess be coming back here if he has the car? I doubt he wants to spend Thanksgiving with us."

"I have the title," Luke explained. "It's in the safe. Which he doesn't have access to anymore because I got a new safe for the diner and took the old one to the house when I moved in last month. I suppose I'll have to deal with it." They fell silent as they contemplated the grave. After a few minutes, he nudged her side. "How racy?"

Lorelai gave him a teasing grin. "You know how you said you like me in those tight jeans?"

His eyes lit up. "Yeah?"

"And when I wear that little black dress. And the hair flip?"

"Yeah?" She thought he might had been drooling, but maybe it was her own imagination.

"Better."

He suddenly sprang to his feet, grabbing her hand to tug her to hers.

"Going to check the safe, huh?" Lorelai teased as Luke all but dragged her out of the cemetery.

"Something like that."

The return trip to the house was done so fast, Lorelai was afraid she was going to be too exhausted for the reveal of said racy lingerie. But before she could warn him of it, they were in the back door and his hands were beneath her T-shirt. He spun her so her back hit the door, pushing the shirt up to get a good look at part of his gift. He sucked in a breath as he trailed a fingers down the lace of the bra, using talented fingers to coax her breast free from the cup. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as he took her into his mouth, fingers diving beneath his hat to rake through his hair. The blue cap popped off and rolled across the kitchen floor.

Somewhere in the maelstrom of sensation, he lifted her off her feet, spun her around and boosted her onto the table. A sweep of his arm had most of her paperwork on the floor, and they managed to get Sadie set safely on a chair. Then his hands were working her jeans open as she toed her shoes off.

He throughly appreciated the bottom half of the racy lingerie as much as he had the top.

Some time later, she couldn't decide whether it had been five minutes or 50, the table groaned under their combined weight as they struggled to catch their breath. With a kiss to the side of her neck, he eased away and surveyed the paper strewn all over the kitchen.

She propped herself on her elbows and noticed for the first time that her panties were hooked around the big toe of her right foot. She kicked, and they landed somewhere next to the back door. "So, 10 out of 10 for the lingerie? The rest of your gifts aren't anywhere that impressive, but …"

He helped her to her feet, and they swayed together like drunks. "Thank you," he said into her hair, and she knew it was for more than the truly impressive table sex.

"As much as I love naked hugging in the kitchen, Rory's gonna be home soon." She smirked as the color drained from his face and took that moment to swat his ass. It was there, and it was gorgeous, so why not? "C'mon, babe, suit up. I'm going to change into work clothes. I need to run by the inn, drop off this paperwork for Tom, check on a few things, then the rest of the day belongs to us."

* * *

Rory hummed as she climbed out of the car, grabbing a large gift bag off the passenger seat as she did so. The convenient thing about Luke's birthday was that it landed on a day where there were no classes, so she had no problem taking the time to come back to Stars Hollow. Picking a gift? That had been harder. Paris offered Rory some sort of bead art tableau she'd made, but Rory managed to turn her down without causing an argument. But she did utilize Paris' attention to detail and they found themselves in a sporting goods store that included fishing supplies. Paris had been merciless, harassing the poor salesperson until they left the store with an assortment of lures and a new tackle box.

She headed in the front door, dumping the bag on the coffee table. "Hello! I hope you two aren't doing anything slutty," she called out, then made her way into the kitchen where Luke was wiping down the table. Her mother's laptop and reams of paperwork were stacked neatly on the counter. "Happy birthday!" she said, moving across the room to hug him.

It was more normal now, the hugging thing between him and her, and it was comforting. He gave her a one-armed hug as he put the stack of paper on top of her mother's laptop, cheeks a curious shade of crimson. Rory suspected it had something to do with the discarded underwear in front of the back door, but she was so not going there. She filed it away under stuff to tease her mother mercilessly about later. "So, did Mom spring everything on you yet?"

Luke just stared at her, and yeah, her brain officially needed purging. "Living room?" Rory asked, hoping it didn't sound like she was begging to flee the kitchen.

"Thank you," he breathed and practically ran into the other room.

Rory shook her head fondly and followed. "Where's Mom?"

"At the inn. She needed to drop off some stuff for Tom and said she'd be right back."

That sounded normal, so Rory sat on the couch and pulled the gift bag to her. Luke rocked back on his heels for a moment, then let out a long breath before taking the armchair nearby.

"Um, look, Rory …" He pulled his cap off, running his hand nervously through his hair in a manner that reminded her sharply of Jess. He stared at the cap, bending the bill a bit before putting it back on. He took a deep breath, then met her eyes. "Jess is back."

Her breath caught in her throat. She could hear her heart racing in her ears, and it took every hard-won ounce of Gilmore self control she had learned over the years to keep her voice calm. "Is he?"

"Your mom saw him crashing in the apartment above the diner this morning. I know she probably wanted to tell you herself, it's just been a busy morning."

Rory shook her head and hoped her heart would calm down before she had some sort of heart attack. "No, no, I get it." She played with the twisted handles on the gift bag. "Have you seen him yet?"

"No."

That made sense. If Jess didn't want to see her, clearly he wouldn't want to see his uncle either. But why was he in town if it wasn't for either of them? Jess made no secret of how much he hated Stars Hollow. "Any idea why he's here?"

Luke stared at the ground, then met her eyes. "I took his car, Rory."

Rory sucked in a sharp breath. "You? You were the one who stole his car?"

"Hid it in a garage I rent, yeah."

She wasn't sure how to take that. Jess had suspected a lot of people, with Dean right at the top of the suspect list. But neither of them had imagined that Luke would be behind the theft. Though it made sense. She knew how hard he'd been scrambling in those last few months to keep Jess in school, to keep him from leaving. Part of her wanted to be pissed at him on Jess' behalf, then squelched the instinct. Jess had brought everything on himself, she firmly reminded herself. Everyone kept trying to help him, but he didn't want it. There was nothing she could do about it. It was the thought that kept her going through the summer, when her heart hurt and never wanted to stop. Jess had fled without a word, without even a note. He didn't even make an effort during that final bus trip to Hartford to clue her in on his plans. He didn't have the courage to face her or his uncle. He didn't deserve her sympathy.

Rory found herself looking into the eyes of the one other person who carried the same sense of failure she did regarding Jess and confessed, "Mom and I were the ones who egged his car last year."

Luke just stared at her for a solid few seconds. "Really?"

Rory shrugged. "It was my idea. Mom went along with it."

He wiped his hand across his mouth, and before she could puzzle out what he was doing, he pressed his hand to his eyes and his shoulders started to shake. For a horrifying moment, she was afraid that he was crying. But when he dropped his hand, she saw that he was laughing. Answering laughter bubbled up in her chest, and she started giggling.

"Why are we laughing?" Rory managed to say. "You stole his car, I egged it. The town square stank for days! We should be paying restitution, not laughing!"

Luke shook his head. "I dunno, but if you really think about it, that is one cursed car."

Rory laughed and laughed until tears streamed down her cheeks. When she finally had to breathe, she relaxed into the sofa cushions, feeling better for the first time in weeks.

"I'm sorry about everything," Luke said when his own laughter died away.

Rory tilted her head thoughtfully. "Why are you sorry? It's not your fault Jess left."

"Yeah, it is. I told him he couldn't stay unless he quit his job and finished high school." He shrugged. "I figured when push came to shove, he'd choose you."

Or you, Rory thought.

"It was his decision. I kind of suspected, when I saw him on the bus to Hartford on the way to school that last time. When he said he couldn't get prom tickets. But it was all going wrong anyhow and especially after that party and …" She clamped her mouth shut tight as it started to run away from her, before she could go into what happened at the party. It was one thing to tell her mother, and Rory remembered the fury that flashed in her eyes. But she couldn't tell Luke. It'd break his heart. Or he would murder Jess, though quite frankly she was pretty OK with the idea at the moment.

"I don't blame you. Ever," Rory said with as much conviction as she could. This, she thought, would be the part where if she had been her mother, she would had reached for his hand or hugged him or something else that was comforting. Her mom was always like that. She backed up her reassurances with physical touch, and Rory always found it baffling and soothing. "I'm glad you and Mom are together."

His eyes were sober, but he smiled. "Me too."

Rory bit her lip. "This is a hugging moment, isn't it?"

"Only if you want it to be."

They grinned at each other, then Rory scooted the gift bag in front of him. "OK, so, I am really proud of this gift. And it comes with a supplementary audio CD of Paris explaining the best way to use the gift. It was the only way to keep her from coming with me to give this to you."

"That's probably the best present of all," Luke said honestly, and Rory remembered the time that Paris had graced the diner and accused him of fencing children. It had truly been one of the most memorable Paris moments she'd ever experienced.

They had the tackle box open and everything Paris had selected spread out on the coffee table when the front door banged open and Jess strode in like he hadn't been gone for more than half a year. Rory froze, some sort of lure in her hand, as Jess strode up to Luke, who had risen from the armchair.

"I want my title back," Jess demanded.

"He doesn't call, doesn't write, just waltzes in like he owns the place," Luke replied, seeming like he was talking to her more than Jess.

 _Say something_. Rory carefully set the lure back among the others and threw her lot in with Luke. "I was taught to knock before entering someone's house."

Jess kept his gaze focused squarely on his uncle, and Rory tried to ignore the crack in her heart that it caused. He wouldn't even _look_ at her. "Look, I'm only here to retrieve my property, not to put up with Wisecracks 'R Us. Not to mention _someone_ dumped water all on me in bed. Where the hell am I gonna sleep if I'm forced to stay here?"

"The other bed's in there," Luke said.

"You mean the upgrade because you're finally banging the woman you've drooled like a St. Bernard over for years?" Jess pushed his face into Luke's as Rory seethed at the description of her mother. "I could have you arrested, you know."

"No you won't. You can't even afford the registration."

"And the fines because you didn't renew it!" Jess spun away, throwing his arms out. "I'm 19. I'm an adult."

Luke's voice raised slightly, just under ordering-Kirk-out-of-the-diner mode. "You are not an adult. You're a stupid-ass kid who ran out on his girlfriend without saying good-bye to go across the country to chase a deadbeat dad. This is all after trashing a guy's house that I had to pay off so he wouldn't press charges against you!"

Jess whipped back around. "You leave Jimmy alone. Besides, you're the one who threw me out!"

Now Luke was the one to push his face into Jess'. "You need to finish school! You were so close, so damn close! What've you been doing for the past six months, huh?"

"I've been getting by," Jess spat.

"Sure, you've been getting by, but you don't have enough to pay for car registration."

"I'm getting my GED. It's good enough. Or do you want to go lording it over the rest of us that you're the only one in the family with an actual high school diploma. Maybe I'll follow your route? Start college, get a couple years in, drop out. Keep it in the family, huh?"

Rory saw the moment Luke flinched, and she was on his feet and at his elbow before she fully realized what she was doing.

"You think you're so perfect, leaping in to save us from ourselves, telling yourself you're a good guy," Jess continued, landing verbal blow after verbal blow with the force of a physical punch. "But, you know what? You're just a self-righteous ass. You make it so that when people fail you, you get to feel like the martyr and they get to feel like not only did they screw up, but they also disappointed you. You interfere and you make everything worse. No one is asking for your help. No one wants your help. Focus on your own life and leave everyone else alone."

"Hey, back off!" Rory yelled.

For the first time, Jess swung her attention to her. "This is none of your business, Rory!"

Rory stepped around Luke, fully tapping into her own anger. "He and my mom are living together in our house so yeah, it's my business! He's done nothing but support you and try to help you."

"Oh yeah? What sort of helping was that when he packed me off to New York last year after the wreck?" Jess jabbed his finger at the fireplace, where pictures of them at Rory's graduation and the Europe trip sat on the mantle. "He chose you and your mom first. He'll always choose you first. You're the kid he wanted. I was just the leftovers."

Rory hadn't seen red very much in her life. She considered her normally even temper one of the finer parts of her personality. Not today. "You know, I have actually thought about this moment. A lot. What would Jess say to me I ever saw him again? I mean, he just took off, no note, no call, nothing, how could he explain that? And then seven months goes by. No word, nothing, so he couldn't possibly have a good excuse for that, right? I have imagined hundreds of different scenarios with a hundred different great last parting lines, but I never imagined that any of them would end with me strangling you."

Looking back at it later, Rory wasn't sure how to describe those tense few seconds of silence, where the three of them simply vibrated from the force of their anger toward each other.

"I'm not leaving this place without my title," Jess snapped at her, turned on his heel, and marched out. He shoved past Lorelai, who had stepped up to the open door and was just gaping at all of them.

Rory hugged herself, rocking back on her heels. "OK. Right. Well, then." She wondered if some sort of earthquake was happening, because everything around her was moving. Then, she realized, it was her. "I'm shaking. Why am I shaking?"

"C'mon, I'll get us some tea." Gently, Luke took her arm and started to steer her toward the kitchen.

"I'm going to murder him."

They swung back around to see Lorelai, cheeks flushed with righteous fury, standing in the foyer. Rory wondered how much her mom had seen.

"Lorelai," Luke said.

"You'll post the bail for me, won't you, babe?" Lorelai responded through gritted teeth.

"Lorelai," he repeated, and his gaze swung between Rory and her mother. She nudged him toward her mom.

Lorelai tossed her purse on the couch with such force that it bounced and landed on the floor. "He's back in town for less than 24 hours and he's already stormed into my house and spouted a bunch of crap to you and Rory that was loud enough for Babette to hear because the door was still open!

"Lorelai," Luke said once more, now moving to her side.

She jerked away when he tried to take her arm. "You have done nothing but support him and try to him. Rory too! And the way he treated her during that party …"

"Mom, don't!" Rory gasped.

"What happened during Kyle's party?" Luke asked, and Lorelai's mouth snapped shut. His gaze shifted to Rory, and she saw the moment he realized what they weren't telling him. Shock, then sorrow filled his eyes as he stared at her. "Did he hurt you?"

"Not physically. I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. We're all fine." She pointed at Lorelai and Luke. "You're fine, and you're fine, and I'm fine. Everyone's happy!" Rory's voice escalated until she was shouting the final words, then remembered that the door still stood open. Well. Miss Patty and Babette were going to have a field day with this one.

They stared at each other, and absurdly, Rory marveled at the family unit they had become.

Because he was the closest to the door, Luke pushed it shut. He stared down at the knob for a few moments, then turned to them. "Hey. There's some place I've been meaning to take the two of you. So let's go now."

* * *

That was it. He'd had enough of this farce.

Jess waited until the Jeep pulled away from the house with all three of them inside. Perfect little _Leave it to Beaver_ family. Screw it. Screw _them_. He watched the house from where he hid in Babette's yard for another five minutes, then sprinted across the lawn to grab the key from the turtle. Rory had told him about it once, and he was counting on the Gilmores being creatures of habit.

He wasn't wrong.

Once inside, Jess stormed up the stairs, into the master bedroom and surveyed it. He dropped to his knees and peered under the bed, seeing a small stack of brightly wrapped gifts and a cake holder. He yanked one of the gifts out and scowled at the squishy feel of it before hurling it back beneath the bed and turning to the closet.

It would normally be big enough to hold two people's normal wardrobes or a single person's very large one. Now it was comically overstuffed, but it was clear Lorelai wasn't the one wearing all the flannel. He dropped to the floor and pushed aside trouser legs to reveal the safe. His uncle was a creature of habit as well. Ergo same combination. Jess had the safe open and his car title in hand before 30 seconds passed.

He wasn't sure what possessed him to keep rummaging through the safe. Probably because Rory's anger kept circling in his head. Probably because he couldn't erase the image of the devastation in his uncle's eyes when he unleashed everything he had at him. He never thought he could hurt his uncle. Sure, he raged and ranted and threatened. But the raw pain was something else entirely.

Jess opened a folder and flipped through it. Old hospital records from the 1970s. What a packrat, he thought, before realizing that this belonged to his grandmother. The one who had died a decade before he was born. The last paper was the death certificate and a clipped obituary. There was an included picture, and Jess was looking into his mother's face. But no, it was his grandmother. He had no idea they had looked so much alike. Luke hadn't been exactly one for pulling out the old photo albums.

Uncomfortable, Jess set that folder aside and picked up a second. His grandfather's. The records had changed from typewritten to being printed on a dot matrix printer. Like with his grandmother, the folder ended with the death certificate and the obituary. The included picture this time was clearly his grandparents' wedding photo. Jess scanned it. November 11, 1989. 14 years ago that day. He'd been five then. Hazy memories filtered through his mind of a tall man slowly wasting away. His heart jolted just a bit to find his own name listed among the survivors. The only grandchild. He tucked it away and pulled out the next folder.

School records, his mom and his uncle's all meshed together. His mom's grades didn't surprise him, but his uncle's did. He was actually a good student, Jess realized, looking at the rows of straight As and the letters offering athletic and academic scholarships to various universities. He flipped a page and found college records and was surprised again. His uncle had attended UConn with a major in civil engineering. That was news to him. He'd known that Luke had attended college for a brief period before dropping out, but nothing beyond that. Still good grades for the first year of school and the first semester of sophomore year.

The final paper was a letter indicating that the student had withdrawn to take care of his ailing father, who had Stage III lung cancer. He had forfeited his athletic scholarship in the process.

Jess stared at the letter, then shoved it back in the folder. He put the other folders back in the safe, then set the title to his car on top of everything and closed the safe.

* * *

"Wow. That place was amazing," Rory said as they got out of the Jeep. She carried a plastic bag with the word Sniffy's printed on one side.

It truly was amazing. Luke had taken the two of them to a restaurant owned by friends of his parents, one of the few places he liked to frequent when he managed to escape Stars Hollow. Her mother, especially, had loved Sniffy's and did a dramatic reading of the back side of the menu that talked about the history of the place.

"Yeah. I haven't been back there much since we went to Europe," he told them as she walked around the back of the Jeep to join him and her mom.

"You should make sure to keep going back," Rory said. "Tradition is very important."

Lorelai slung an arm around her shoulders. "Look at her, parroting her grandfather."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I like traditions."

Her mother squeezed her. "I do too, kid. So this is a new one. We go out to eat at Sniffy's every year on Luke's birthday."

"So say we all," Rory intoned.

"And that wasn't creepy at all," Lorelai muttered while Luke gave Rory a baffled look.

"I thought the new _Battlestar Galactica_ doesn't come out until next month?" he asked.

"Nerd," Lorelai muttered under her breath, then shot him a wide smile when he glared at her.

"Paris has connections and, despite being on the religion beat at the paper, said it was vital to appeal to a certain subsection of students by providing an in-depth analysis between the miniseries and the 1979 TV series." Rory reached in her purse and pulled out a DVD, waving it at Luke before handing it over. "There you are, one last present. Now, you two, go on and commence engaging in your slutty celebration. Don't think I didn't notice that you left evidence in the kitchen. Anyhow, I've got class in the morning."

Lorelai gazed a bit sadly at her. "You don't want to come in for Sookie cake?"

"Sookie cake is appealing, but I just want to hit the road. Save me a slice?" Rory pointed first at her mother, then at Luke. "Not you, you. I know who actually won't hog all the cake in the house."

Lorelai gaped at her. "Are you accusing your own sainted mother of eating the entire cake and not saving you any?"

Rory pulled open the door to the driver's side of the Prius. "Yes."

Lorelai blew her an exaggerated kiss and waved off the car until it turned the corner at the end of the street and was no longer in sight. Content, she hugged herself, then turned back to Luke. "So, good birthday?"

"Yeah." He swung an arm around her waist and steered her toward the front door.

"Even with all the sad and the fighting?"

He shrugged. "It worked out in the end."

She tugged at his jacket. "C'mon. You've got more gifts to open."

The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. "I can just unwrap you again."

"Funny man. After the other gifts."

* * *

It wasn't a horrible day. All in all, other than Jess' dramatic explosion in the living room, it had been a good day. Luke couldn't remember the last time he had a good birthday, or even really bothered to celebrate it at all. Rachel had known when his birthday was, but respected his wishes to avoid it entirely. He and Nicole hadn't been together long enough for the subject to come up other than her vaguely mentioning that her birthday was in the fall as well. He'd had a few other girlfriends, but likewise he had avoided the subject with them.

But now there was Lorelai and Rory, and of course they had made a big deal over it because it was _them_. But it hadn't been anything horrifying. It'd been nice. Wonderful even. Thanks to them, the day was no longer quite so dark. He didn't think it would ever be like that again.

Luke lay awake, watching the moonlight crawl across the ceiling. If all of this was true, why couldn't he sleep?

Instead of tossing until he woke Lorelai, he got up and stepped over the pile of discarded clothing they had left in their wake hours earlier and found his normal night clothes. He quietly descended the stairs, frowning when a couple of them groaned beneath his weight. He'd take a look at those in the morning.

The small pile of gifts Lorelai had bestowed on him sat on the coffee table, next to the tackle box from Rory. Luke sat on the couch and picked up the pair of socks she'd made, running them through his hands. She had bought the yarn in Europe, boasting she knew the exact pattern she wanted to use it with and that it wasn't too girly. And it wasn't. The scarf had also been from yarn purchased in Europe, and clearly she had picked it to compliment his green jacket. He couldn't remember the last time anyone made something specifically with him in mind, and it was just another reminder of how Lorelai and Rory had pulled him from the lonely axis he'd stood on and into their world. If he was really being sappy, it'd be like that moment in the _Wizard of Oz_ when everything had changed from black and white to Technicolor.

Oh God, he _was_ being that sappy.

Luke scrubbed his face with the heels of his hands. That's what you get when you're still awake at 1:47 in the morning. Thank goodness he'd had the foresight to ask Cesar to open the diner in the morning. He found the first _Babylon 5_ set tucked among Lorelai's other DVDs and finally broke the plastic on it.

He dozed off halfway through the pilot episode.

He woke to a soft tapping on the front door and thought it was something on the TV. The disc had reached the end and had looped back to the beginning, playing the menu music on endless repeat. He fumbled for the remote and hit pause just as the tapping sound came again. Confused, Luke saw it was just after 5 a.m. Then it changed to a hint of worry as he shuffled to the door and peeked through the peep hole. Inwardly groaning, he yanked it open to confront an almost contrite Jess. Well, as contrite as he'd ever seen his nephew. Still, after yesterday, after only three hours of sleep, he didn't bother to go for niceties.

"What now?" Luke barked.

Jess opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Tell me what I need to do to get the title."

Clearly Luke was still asleep and was in some sort of bizarre dream. "What?"

"Just tell me what I need to do to get the title, all right?" Jess snarled, then stared at some vague spot on the wall next to the front door.

Luke simply stared at Jess as his words slowly penetrated his exhausted mind. He thought of what it meant to be family. Of what the girls implied had nearly happened at Kyle's party. But something about Jess had changed in the hours since their fight, and he knew this was the one chance he had to take everything back he'd done months earlier. Hoping Lorelai wouldn't kill him, that he wouldn't fail Jess one more time, he said, "Your mom is coming for Thanksgiving. Stay through then and I'll give it to you. Do with it as you like. If you need money, you can work in the diner, and you can stay in the apartment."

It was far more than Jess deserved, and they both knew it. "Deal."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Long time, no see on this story! A lot of this got rewritten and characters shuffled around a bit, but I greatly prefer the end result rather than what was in the beginning.


	7. The Idiot's Lantern

_Chapter 7: The Idiot's Lantern_

"I'm sorry."

Rory simply stared at Luke. When the knock came at her door, he had been the very last person she'd expected to see. In fact, the sight of him made her panic, thinking that something had happened to her mom. Quite frankly, he looked terrible. It looked like he had thrown on the first clothes he could lay his hands on, and deep shadows were carved under his eyes. But instead, he'd handed her a thermos of coffee, a bag of cherry danishes, then told her about Jess.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I know I should of told you and your mom before I made the offer. Actually, your mom still doesn't know because I came straight here after he left."

Rory stared down at the thermos and the paper bag, where a small grease spot had formed on one side. Truly the sign of excellent danishes within. "No, no, it's good."

"Rory."

"He's your nephew," she said. "Of course you should do it."

Jess was his nephew, and they both knew she was the daughter Luke never had, but it still hurt. But she couldn't hide from Jess forever _because_ of that very fact that they were practically related now. Ish. Not by blood, but her mom and his uncle were now living together, and somehow she would figure out how to be an adult and deal with him being around until Thanksgiving.

Today wasn't going to be that day.

It was a good thing coffee and danishes were the makings of a decent wallow.

Luke stared at his feet for a moment, then over Rory's shoulder at the dorm room. His brow furrowed. "Why does it look like a hotel in there?"

"Grandma," Rory sighed, and it explained everything. They exchanged small smiles of understanding, and she wondered if this was another hugging moment passing them by.

Luke motioned back toward the parking lot. "Anyhow, I need to be getting back. Sorry about all this. I just didn't want to tell you over the phone."

"That was really sweet of you." And it didn't hurt quite so bad because he'd gone to that effort. "You know Mom's going to murder you."

Luke sighed. "At least try to pick out a decent headstone. Nothing frilly."

"No promises, mister," Rory grinned.

* * *

"Exactly, yes, that's just the kind of thing we're looking for. Well, I'm so glad to hear that because the last three designers we met with had very different philosophies. Uh-huh. No, I didn't know you did the Silver Thatch Inn. Oh, that was so beautiful. Yeah. Okay. Well, why don't we, uh, meet, uh, Friday, say, around two o'clock? Okay. Luke's Diner. It's right in the middle of the town square. You can't miss it. Just follow the love. Okay. Thank you. Bye-bye."

Lorelai snapped her cell phone closed, tempted to take the call into the diner. But there was still enough good feelings lingering from Luke's birthday that she decided to give him a break, just this once. It would last until lunch. Satisfied with her decision, she pushed the door open and drew up short when she saw Jess behind the counter, accepting orders from Cesar in the kitchen.

"What're you doing here?" she asked, letting the door slam shut behind her.

Jess rolled his eyes and carried two plates of food to a waiting table. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Lorelai followed him from that table back to the counter. "Where's Luke?"

"I dunno. You're the one sharing a bed with him." Jess moved behind the counter and ripped an order off his pad.

Lorelai braced herself on the counter. "Does he know you're here? Standing behind his counter? Serving his coffee?"

"Considering he's the one paying me, yeah, he knows." Jess smirked at her. "Mad he didn't get your permission first?"

Um. Yes, her inner voice told her, but she wasn't about to throw Luke quite under the bus yet. Besides, it would give Jess more ammunition. "What? He doesn't have to ask me before hiring someone at his diner. I have no say whatsoever in who goes on the employment rolls here."

"Glad to get that cleared up. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's actual customers trying to pay their bill." Jess looked around Lorelai's shoulder at the man waiting behind her, bill in hand. "Sorry about that. $7.56, please."

Lorelai stepped to the side, whipping around as the door opened and Luke all but ran in. "Sorry I'm … shit," he hissed, when he saw her.

"Didn't tell her, huh?" Jess asked, handing over change.

Luke pointed at him. "You, shut up."

"And how am I supposed to take orders if I'm not talking?"

"Take a sign language course," Luke snapped.

Lorelai stared at Luke, then at Jess, then back at Luke, and knew Jess was right. She _was_ furious. She wanted to scream at Luke, wondered what the _hell_ he was thinking by letting Jess back into their lives after everything he had done. But the eyes of the town were on her, and she had no desire to be part of their breakfast theater. Without sparing a glance at Luke, she shoved past him and out the door.

He started to call after her, but his own sense of self preservation kicked in thanks to the room full of people.

Next to him, Patty looked up from her breakfast and gave him a sympathetic look. "Oooh, she's mad. What did you do, honey?"

"It's nothing, Miss Patty," Luke snapped.

"Oh? Is nothing related to you and serving orders in the diner?" When Luke glared at her, Patty let it roll off. She patted his arm. "Take it from me. As interesting as hearing the two of you have it out in the diner would be, you probably want to be home for this one."

His anger deflated. It wasn't Patty's fault, and she was right. "You're right."

"Now, catch her before she gets the glue gun out. I hope you don't have any clothes you particularly like."

* * *

Lorelai decided to head for the Dragonfly on foot, because she was too furious to drive. The walk would do her good, and she could imagine every footstep as stomping on Luke's face. She was _right there_ , sleeping inches from him when he decided to make that little punk the latest diner employee of the month. He could had taken two seconds to shake her awake, to let her form somewhat of an opinion. Did nothing Jess say the previous day matter? How could Luke allow himself to be abused like that again? And what of Rory. Oh god, Rory. What was she going to tell her daughter?

Her cell phone rang, and she nearly ignored it. She dug it out, saw Rory's name on the screen, and answered. "Hey!"

"Hi!" On the other side, Rory accepted coffee from her favorite barista at the coffee cart near her dorm and lifted it in thanks. She tucked her phone beneath her chin as she carried the coffee down the sidewalk, heading toward class. "I was just checking in to see how things were."

"They're fine! Everything's good here," Lorelai replied, breezily.

Rory frowned. "Uh huh. That extra note of false cheer in your voice tells me otherwise."

"Things are perfectly fine. I'm certainly not mad over certain people inviting their delinquent nephews to stay in town for Thanksgiving without consulting me first."

Rory sighed. "And that's what I thought. Mom, don't be mad at Luke."

Lorelai came to a stop, throwing out her arm dramatically. "Oh, I'm not mad. How can I be mad over the fact that Luke's extending yet another olive branch to a kid that has gone out of his way to hurt him and you, then hopes we'll all be the Waltons over Thanksgiving. Not to mention he doesn't breathe a word to me about it before I walk in the diner this morning to see him gone and Jess there."

"That's because he was here, Mom."

Lorelai gaped at the phone for a solid ten seconds before remembering that she actually had to speak into it to give Rory her reaction. " _What?_ "

"Luke was here, Mom. He showed up on my doorstep around 6:30 with coffee, danishes, and enough apologies to make me think he was Canadian. I don't think I've ever seen him that contrite. Did he explain that to you?"

"… No." And some of that mad … OK, a good chunk of that mad … withered away. Oh, it would come back. But for now, Lorelai could perfectly see Luke trying to beg Rory's forgiveness with coffee and danishes, and her heart melted.

And she wanted a danish. Damn it.

"Mom, I'm OK with it. Really," Rory was hastily saying.

"Well, I'm not." Lorelai continued down the path heading to the Dragonfly.

"Mom, Jess is his family. What if I … say had a huge fight with you, stole a yacht, and dropped out of Yale? You'd give me another chance, wouldn't you?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Yes, because I'm contractually obligated to do so. Signed on the dotted line right as the drugs were wearing off."

Rory approached the building that housed her English class and took another sip of coffee. "It's the same thing with him. Jess is Luke's nephew, Mom. You don't give up on family. Besides, we're doing the Thanksgiving merry-go-round again, aren't we?"

Lorelai perked up. "That's right, we can just skip the diner this year!"

"We are not," Rory informed her.

"Oh, I'm sure …," Lorelai hedged.

"It's your first Thanksgiving as a couple! You saw how disappointed Luke was when we said we weren't going to be there last year, and now you're living together. It's six times worse!"

Rory was right, and Lorelai stared stonily at the inn in the distance.

"You're contractually obligated to do so. Signed on the dotted line when you gave him his own key," Rory twisted her words right back her. "Besides, how are you going to hold it over his head when Grandma insists he comes to Friday night dinner and you run out of excuses?"

"It still doesn't change what Jess did," Lorelai muttered.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think if I invited Paris to Thanksgiving at the diner?"

For the first time since seeing Jess, Lorelai grinned. "My evil offspring. You make me proud."

* * *

Luke found her at the Dragonfly, discussing fixes to the floor and the stairs with Tom. He hung back as she talked, wondering if she knew how much he admired her for doing this. When he caught her eye, the frosty look in them was enough to have him hang back. He nodded to Tom, who took one look at him, then at her, then patted his arm in solidarity as he rejoined his crew.

"I'm sorry," Luke started as Lorelai approached him, but she jerked her head toward the back.

"You, me, stables," she ordered, and he had no choice but to follow.

If he remembered right, Lorelai was planning whether or not to get horses for the stables. He could see both sides of it. It'd be a good selling point, but the insurance and upkeep would be difficult. Not that he was a fan of the smelly things. He let those thoughts replace the guilt gnawing away at his gut as they crossed the grounds to the small outbuilding.

She wrestled the doors open, and they stepped into the musty semi-darkness. "Look, I know you're mad, but-" he started as soon as the door slid closed.

Lorelai spun to him, leaning back against the doors. "You told Rory."

"Yeah."

She placed her hands on her hips. "You told Rory before you told me. You drove to Yale so you could tell Rory and took her danishes and coffee."

"Yeah, I did." And he wasn't surprised one bit that Rory managed to get ahold of her. In a lot of ways, it made eating crow easier. "I was hoping to catch you before you went into the diner."

She stalked away from him, crossing her arms protectively over her chest as she stared through the gaps in the stable walls. "As pissed off as I am right now, I happen to think that was really sweet and considerate, so I'm not going to provide you as grumpy fertilizer for Jackson's squash."

Part of the guilty dread Luke had carried all morning crumbled away. "Thanks."

"He's your family."

"So are you." He started to reach for her, but wasn't sure if this was a reaching for her moment. Before he could follow through, she spun back around, the same fury he had seen the day before in her eyes.

"If he hurts you again …"

Luke managed a half smile. "I will look the other way and provide your alibi."

Lorelai gave a sharp nod. "OK."

"Are we OK?"

She took a couple of worrying moments before replying. "I don't like seeing him do this to you repeatedly. To Rory. I trust him less than I trust Donald Trump."

Luke snorted. "No one trusts that guy."

"Exactly."

"Lorelai …" Now he did reach for her, skimming a hand down her arm and felt the tense muscles. She didn't pull away when his hand closed around hers.

She sighed. "Look. I know you have to try. Because you're you, and no matter what Jess tried to claim, you're a good person. You don't give up on family." She didn't pull her arm away, but she changed the subject. "So, what do you think of horses?"

Luke almost pulled it back around, but he was learning when to table things with her. With a sigh, he contemplated the empty stalls. "Expensive and shits a lot," he decided.

Lorelai grinned. "So, horses equal babies."

"Basically."

She stared at him with a deeply intense look he'd seen on her before, curious and apprehensive at the same time. "Do you want one?"

"A horse or a baby?"

"Either."

Their words echoed in the stable, overlapping each other as his heart leaped into his throat. Not for the first time, he thought of a baby with her eyes. "Not really into horses. You know how I feel about kids."

"I remember. You said it would be a very short discussion."

Luke wondered if she was remembering the same thing he did, sitting on the bleachers during the stupid dance marathon, talking about kids. Lorelai hadn't known it was the most he had said on the subject ever. Talking about it with Rachel had been very short and to the point. Neither them had wanted kids. But now … "It would," he agreed.

"How short?"

And he just knew. Without a doubt. No hesitancy. He squeezed her hand until she looked up at him. "Yes."

The eyes he loved so much went wide with shock. "Yes?"

"One day," he clarified.

Her smile was tremulous and some of the fear he'd seen flash through them faded. "OK."

"Not right now," he hastily added.

"Definitely not right now," she agreed. "Maybe some day after you ask the question you don't dare breathe aloud because the walls have ears?"

"I think that'd be a good time to revisit the subject." They stared at the empty stalls and in their minds saw baby cribs.

* * *

Two days later, Lorelai nudged the door to the diner open with her shoulder, juggling Sadie, several books, her messenger bag, and her purse all in one go. She spotted a pair of empty tables and hastily dumped everything on one before pushing the other up next to it. As she had every day that week, and really the weeks prior as well, she spread out her things and took a good, long look at her decorating plans for the Dragonfly. Natalie, her choice for designer, was due to meet her at 2, and Sookie was planning to stop by before then.

Lorelai flipped her planner over to her to-do list and winced at the size of it. Right. She needed coffee before she could do anything else. She searched the diner for her knight in shining flannel, beaming as he crossed over to her with an empty mug, the coffee pot, and a scowl. Just the way she liked him. "Hey, babe. What's going on?"

Luke thumped the mug down and poured coffee into it. "Oh, well … Tom called. The banister on the stairs has to be replaced. It'll be $4,000. Tamsin Cordally called. He needs a deposit on the quartersawn oak. It'll be $4,000. Julio the landscaper called. I have no idea what he said, but it's going to be $4,000. Rory's looking for her black Converse, and, oh, one last thing: I'm not taking messages for you anymore!"

Lorelai shrugged it off as she took a sip of coffee and felt it down to her toes. Damn, the man served potent caffeine. Her toes curled. And other things as well. "Well, I'm definitely not nominating you friendliest concierge of the year. Michel may actually have a shot this time."

"What did you do? Put the diner's info on your business cards?"

She shrugged and started ordering the to do list. "People just know I'm here a lot. There's my really hot boyfriend and coffee. Where else would I be?"

Luke pointed out the door. "How about the big, empty house that's just a few minutes walk away?"

Lorelai jabbed her pen at him. "See, big and empty are the two reasons why I'd rather be here than there. Did I mention really hot boyfriend?"

"You're gonna call all these people and tell them to call your cellphone, not me!" Luke stalked away, and Lorelai blew a raspberry after him.

"Dating you is getting me nowhere." She called after him. "Oh, hey, did a package arrive for me here today?"

Luke spun around and snarled at her. "Lorelai."

Her toes curled again and, briefly, she wondered if an afternoon quickie could be added to the list. She did love pushing him to his limits.

The bells jangled as Sookie made her way into the diner just as Luke stormed back into the kitchen. "Hey! Are you two fighting or flirting?"

"It's interchangeable," Lorelai admitted and Sookie grinned, taking one of the empty seats.

"I'm so glad to be out of the house. I love Davey and I love Tobin, and he's been a godsend as a nanny, but I need a break. So, let's talk kitchens!"

They set to work, going over outlines of what they needed to order, catalogs opened and items circled. At some point, a plate of food appeared at Lorelai's elbow with her usual cheeseburger and chili fries, and she took enough time to give an admiring look at her boyfriend's back. Well, maybe she wouldn't commandeer that third empty table after all.

Sookie slowly chewed on the turkey sandwich that had appeared at her side. "I was thinking of going with the Avery stove, if we've got the budget for it."

"Yeah. I split the money we have, focusing on the stuff we need to order now to have it here in time for the May opening, and the money we need to spend now." Lorelai made some notes on Sadie, then pressed enter on the spreadsheet. The number decreased by a startling amount, and Lorelai quickly reran the calculation. When the same result appeared, her stomach twisted into knots. She turned the screen away from Sookie. "I'm starting to second-guess myself about the May timeline a little bit."

"I know we're a little late, but six months is plenty of time for the Avery." Pleased, Sookie didn't notice the subtle look of panic on Lorelai's face and kept flipping through her catalog. "How's it going with the designer search?"

"I've narrowed it down to the one coming in at 2, but this is her estimate." Lorelai pulled a sticky note from her planner and showed it to Sookie.

She let out a low whistle. "That's a lot of zeroes."

Lorelai frowned at the Post-It. "All of them have lots of zeroes after their names. We have a decent seed account, and Mia's money is definitely helping, but man."

"We could start doing the catering again," Sookie suggested.

Lorelai nearly leaped at it. They had catered a few events during the fall before Sookie gave birth, and it had added money to their funds. But … "Davey's barely a month old, Sook. You need to take some time to be with him."

"Well, it'll all work out. Oooh, what do you think of this mixer?" Sookie turned her catalog toward Lorelai, and her stomach pitched again.

"Add it to the budget."

* * *

Some old habits died hard. Even though he lived with Lorelai now, Luke still preferred to take care of the books in his old apartment. It had originally been an office anyhow, so it made sense. And it still got some use. His bed was barely three months old, and Lorelai demanded it had to be kept in working condition. Said working condition involved naps and … _naps_. He didn't mind either since both involved her. Being a phone messenger boy was one thing, but this, well. He didn't mind missing calls from the meat guy while they took a _nap_. Except Jess was staying there now, so that put the kibosh on any afternoon interludes for the time being.

Luke sat at the table, going over numbers and poring through receipts as Jess sauntered into the room, then the bathroom. He fiddled with his pencil, the numbers blurring a bit before finally tossing it aside as the toilet flushed and the sink ran. Seconds later, Jess came out, wiping his hand on a towel before tossing it back into the bathroom. He plopped down on the sofa and picked up a copy of the _Da Vinci Code_ he had left there.

Luke took a deep breath, then let it out slowly before pushing away from the table. "We need to talk."

"About?" Jess asked absently, not bothering to look up from his book.

"Kyle's party."

Jess shrugged and turned a page. "You're still hung up over that? Look, dock my pay for restitution. It just means I'm sticking around here longer."

"It's not that." And here's where it's about to get messy, he thought. "It's about what happened with Rory."

That got Jess' attention. He jerked up straight, looking at Luke for the first time since walking in the apartment. "It's none of your business."

"I'm making it my business." Unable to sit, Luke pushed up from the table and started to pace. "Did you even think I'd let this slide once I figured things out?"

"Yeah, yeah, we all know Rory's the kid you never had. Gonna get out your shotgun and threaten me like a good dad does?"

Luke whipped around, jabbing his finger at Jess. "Let me make this clear. No matter who you're with, if they say stop, you stop. If they even _think_ like they're about to say stop, you stop. If I find you doing something like that to a girl … anyone again, they won't need to call the cops. I'll have taken care of the matter. You hear me?"

"Crystal." Jess spat out, then shoved his nose back in his book.

Luke closed his eyes, trying to reign in his anger. He needed to get out of there. He took two steps toward the door.

"I didn't mean it," Jess muttered.

And that was enough to make him turn back. "Yeah, well, you've got to learn that the bigger head's always the one in charge, even if the other one is claiming otherwise."

Jess lowered his book, and for the first time in a long time, a flash of vulnerability showed that made Luke think of the lost child Jess had been. "How do you know?"

Luke thought of a warm night in Rome, of midnight blue lingerie, of blissful dreams turned reality as Lorelai's hands had moved over him, of how he couldn't stop smiling. "Let her take the lead. Even if you start it, she'll let you know if she wants you to continue. It's all about them, no matter who you're with. You have to put their needs above your own. If you're lucky, you'll find your partner's feeling the same way about you and everything just works."

"How do I make it better?" Jess asked.

Luke folded his arms over his chest, banishing those cherished memories to the back of his mind. "Apologizing's a start."

"I already told Rory I was sorry."

"I'm not just talking about Rory. Who do you think she told about all of this?"

The vulnerability on Jess' face was replaced with fury. "Lorelai didn't need to know. _You_ didn't need to know. It's none of your business, either of you. Rory and I were adults when we were at that party, and it's between us, so just butt out." Jess tossed the book aside and pushed past Luke to storm out of the apartment. The door slam echoed through the room as Luke stared after his nephew, wondering if he had failed him once again.

* * *

"Lorelai?"

She pushed her glasses onto her forehead, blinking as the world went fuzzy. She had taken out her contacts as soon as she'd gotten home, hoping their absence would alleviate the pressure headache that had been building all day. It had, somewhat. The true cause, she suspected, lay in the paperwork that was strewn about the kitchen table again. She stared at the spreadsheet open on Sadie and the decreasing number of zeroes that marked the Dragonfly's available balance.

Next to the computer lay a smaller stack of papers. Her own bills. She had spent the afternoon on the phone changing the cable package, dropping magazine subscriptions, and putting the kibosh on any recurring subscriptions she had. She nearly changed the family cell plan she and Rory shared, but she couldn't sacrifice that life line with her daughter. More people were giving up landlines, and that was a thought, but her mother would have a fit.

Lorelai fingered the gas bill and thought of shutting off some of the vents. Then there was Christmas. It wouldn't be the first time she turned to homemade gifts to get her and Rory through a holiday.

Or, her common sense told her, you could ask Luke to help with the bills.

Lorelai heard her name again and shoved the bills under the laptop. No, she wasn't going there. Luke was helping enough. He paid for their groceries, and he had stopped charging her when she came into the diner. The money saved on food alone helped immensely, and the refrigerator had never been better stocked. She didn't want him to think she only wanted him living with her to help out with money. She could manage it.

"In the kitchen," she finally answered, replacing her glasses as he walked in juggling a box and a plastic bag. Tantalizing scents of Italian wafted, and her stomach growled.

"Here's your package and here's dinner," he announced, dumping both on the counter when he saw that the table was occupied.

"Oooh, thanks." Lorelai considered clearing the table and discarded it. They could eat in the living room. She got up to help him plate their food.

"What's all this?" He asked as she opened a bottle of wine and poured out glasses for both of them."

"Budgeting." Lorelai tossed the table a disdainful look and led them into the living room, carrying both glasses of wine. "I wish I was Scrooge McDuck in his money bin. You know. DuckTales. Woo-oo?"

Luke followed with their plates. "I wasn't a little kid in the '80s."

"I don't think you were ever a little kid." She looked up in time to see the eye roll from him, and her worries over the bills lessened just a bit. He sat on the couch while she set the wine glasses down and doubled back into the kitchen for silverware.

"I talked to Jess about the party," Luke said over his shoulder as she walked back, carrying forks.

"Oh?" Lorelai lingered by one of the vents. When she was sure he wasn't looking at her, she leaned over, flipped it off, and hastily ran back to the couch. "Which one's mine?"

"Linguine with meatballs."

He handed her the plate and she cooed over it before immediately spearing one of the meatballs. She chewed thoughtfully, then steered the conversation back on course. "So, good talk then?"

"It's Jess, so take it with a grain of salt." Luke cut off a piece of chicken scallopini. "I had to say something. He can't go around doing this to any girl, you know? It's not even just about Rory at this point." He stared at his food, then set the plate on the coffee table. "Hell, I never stopped to think of what he's learned about sex over the years. Hiding that Shawna or whatever her name was in the closest should of tipped me off more."

Lorelai twirled linguine around her fork. "You did tell him not to shove a girl in the closet, right?"

Luke scowled. "Of course I did!"

She waved said fork at him. "And you tried to tell him how to treat women then too, right?"

"I was Ward Cleaver and everything!"

"And Ward looked amazing in plaid, I'm sure." Lorelai popped her food in her mouth as Luke glowered at her. "The conversation went very well, I take it."

He stared down into his glass of wine for so long that she wondered if he was going to tell her any more about it. He finally took a large swallow before admitting, "We wound up fighting about you."

Intrigued, Lorelai abandoned her own dinner. "Oh, see, here's the interesting part."

Luke toyed with the stem of the wine glass, unable to quite look her in the eye. "I really took a long time, didn't I?"

"Seven years is a bit of a lead time before starting a relationship, but we got there." She laid a hand over his, squeezing until he properly looked at her. "Hey, look, it's a two-way street. There could had been any time over the past few years I could have asked you to dinner. You know, like when we were playing cards to let Jackson and Sookie have their date. Or when we were painting the diner."

"Or when you wore that ridiculous outfit the day Rory started Chilton. The cutoffs and the cowboy boots."

"Really?" Desire curled in her gut, and the rest of the tension from her hours spent with the books slipped away. "I always wondered. I can recreate it if you'd like."

His eyes flashed, and she knew at that moment that the rest of their dinner would become excellent leftovers for the next day. "Merry Christmas to me," he murmured, setting the wine glass aside so he could reach for her.

Necking on the sofa, Lorelai decided a few minutes later, was far better than budgeting. And who needed all the heating vents on when they were clearly overly warm? Luke's flannel was on the floor, and her sweater was somewhere … well it was somewhere. She stretched on top of him as they kissed, his hands cupping her ass through her jeans as his lips found the spot on her neck that made her moan every single time his tongue laved over it.

"It's not even Thanksgiving yet," she managed to remind him between kisses.

He patted her butt. "Who was the one who demanded a gift for every day on the advent calendar?"

She smirked. "That's what they're for. Pre-gifting gifting!"

He rolled his eyes, then suddenly began to laugh.

A little put off, she pushed herself onto her elbows. "What's so funny?"

"Remembering you being nailed like a two by four by a group of sixteen-year-olds."

She pinched his side in retaliation, pleased when he jumped. "Yeah, some help _you_ were. How much of that did you hear anyhow?"

"Oh, I left when you threatened to make it rain condoms in the classroom." He kissed her again, long and deep, until her sense of righteous indignation had dissipated and her bra somehow became unhooked. "You didn't need me to stick up for you, Lorelai. I was enjoying your take down of them."

"That's true." She lightly punched his bicep, then sat up to peel the bra off. "But next time, solidarity, OK?"

His hands slid up her ribcage, and she closed her eyes on a long moan. "Fine, I'll play the party horn while you toss the condoms."

"That's more like it." She leaned down to kiss him again.

* * *

Rory arrived home the day before Thanksgiving with two baskets of laundry and a detailed agenda for the next day, which she promptly tacked to the refrigerator. She was quite pleased with herself. Once again, they were squeezing in four Thanksgiving meals, but some clever negotiation with the grandparents had resulted in theirs being first and the one at the diner last. She even extended an invitation to that one behind her mother's back, hoping for some sort of bridge between her grandparents and her mom and Luke. While Grandpa had looked thoughtful, Grandma immediately declined.

The house was empty, probably because Liz and her boyfriend had arrived in town and her mom was down at the diner helping them get settled into Luke's old apartment. Rory shoved laundry into the washer, dug out her copy of _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ , and headed to the gazebo for a good read.

She kicked leaves absently as she strolled down the sidewalk, face buried in the text as she re-read the discovery of the Room of Requirement and the founding of Dumbledore's Army. Almost on auto-pilot, she headed up to the gazebo and sank onto one of the benches.

Rory was close to the end of the chapter when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked up to see Jess crossing the town square from the diner, a large go-cup of coffee in his hand. Her throat immediately seized, and every part of her wanted to leap from the bench and run for the safety of home. But, damn it, this was _her_ town. She wasn't going to run.

She had plenty of time to think about things in the 15 days since Luke's birthday. She replayed her entire relationship with Jess from start to finish, picking it apart and putting the pieces back together. She even sought Paris' opinion and was rewarded to a healthy rant about how all men were deficient in one area or another. Rory took her time placing her bookmark among the pages and closed the cover as Jess walked up the stairs to look down at her.

"Hey."

"Hi." There. That was a perfectly cordial beginning.

Jess held the cup out. "Coffee?"

There was no reason not to accept it. Besides, it was Luke's coffee. Rory took it. "Thanks."

Jess shuffled from foot to foot. Instinct had her almost inviting him to sit down, but she stopped herself just in time.

"Look. About Kyle's party," Jess began.

"Jess, we don't have to talk about it," Rory replied.

Jess scowled. "Yeah. Yeah, we do. You didn't deserve any of that, OK?"

Rory looked down at the lid of her cup, the desire to drink it suddenly gone. "It hurt worse you didn't tell me where you were going. I thought we were better friends than that. Even if we hadn't been dating, I thought you respected me enough to tell me you were going to see your dad."

"Yeah, and what would you have done?"

The anger she hoarded over the months leaked out as she glared at Jess. "You think I don't know what it's like to want your dad to actually look at you and see you, not your mom?"

Jess shrugged. "At least he cared enough to show up every now and again."

"He didn't even come to my high school graduation," Rory snapped. "He didn't, and you didn't, and I wanted you both there."

Jess threw his hands in the air before resting them on his hips, looking so much like his uncle that pointing it out would just make him angrier. "I don't know how to make this up to you."

"I don't think you can," Rory addressed her coffee cup, then took a deep breath. She made herself look Jess in the eye, because she wasn't a coward. She couldn't be about this. If she learned anything from Dean, she had to play it straight. "I can't date you again, Jess."

Jess started to reach for her, but immediately jerked his hand away. He pushed it through his hair instead. "I still love you. We can make it work."

Tears threatened, and it took all of her self control not to let them show. "I'm sorry."

Jess stared down at the ground, and for a moment, Rory wondered if he was about to cry as well. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then it snapped shut. He huffed a bit. "Look, I just wanna let you know that I'll be gone by the time you're done for the semester. I just wanted to see …"

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

Jess nodded to her. "All right. Take care, Rory."

"Take care, Jess," she said to his back as he retreated back toward the diner. She hugged her book to her chest and stared at the stars, expecting to feel an overwhelming crush of sadness. Instead, all she felt was relief.

* * *

 _Author's note: I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! A month of travel followed by two weeks of being ill was not conductive to fic writing._


	8. The Lodger

**TRIGGER WARNING: There is a small scene toward the end of the chapter that might be disturbing to pet owners. It's not long, but it is sad.**

* * *

 _Chapter 8: The Lodger_

There were changes at home.

Well, Rory conceded, of course there were changes. Their household of two had become a household of three, and despite everything, it was a little weird to see all the maleness mixed in with her and her mom's things. The rooms had become a bit neater overall, which was a plus. There was shaving cream in her mom's bathroom and boxer briefs in the laundry. The model of a spaceship sat on the table next to the monkey lamp. The cabinets and refrigerator held real food, and the oven was being used for more than warming socks and the occasional tray of tater tots.

But there was something else, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe because she was shivering too hard to do so.

She pulled her cardigan around her and stumbled out of her bedroom to squint at the thermostat. "Why is it 64 in here?" she moaned. She knocked it up a few degrees and went to go stand over one of the registers so her toes could warm. When she didn't feel the rush of warm air against her feet, she frowned and knelt.

"Why's the vent closed?" Rory murmured and wandered through the rest of the first floor. More than half the registers were closed, and it didn't make any sort of sense. Maybe Luke was some sort of penguin when he wasn't in the diner and needed it to be this cold. She wondered if he was open to negotiation on that front.

The curtains were thrown open, allowing the winter sunshine to warm the living room, so Rory collected her book and settled on the couch to watch TV. She snuggled into a blanket and reached for the remote.

Five minutes later, she turned off the TV and tossed the blanket aside. Hands on her hips, she frowned down at the set and stared at the coffee table. Clean. Absolutely clean except the old basket her mother used to keep various craft projects stashed. She fingered a skein of yarn as she heard the kitchen door open and close.

She turned her head down the hall. "Hey!"

Luke emerged from the kitchen, nodded to her and started to unwrap his scarf. He tugged off his gloves and frowned. "Why's it so cold in here?"

His bafflement was so genuine that Rory knew at once he wasn't behind the sudden transformation of the Crap Shack into an igloo. "The vents are closed," she explained.

He knelt by one and frowned. He flipped it open, then closed, then back open before heading for the basement.

Rory followed, hovering at the top of the stairs as Luke walked to the furnace, then the water heater, checking them over. He shook his head at Rory as she bit her lip. They emerged back into the living room, frowning at each other.

"More than half our cable package is missing," Rory said. "There's a lot of channels we had last month that we don't have anymore. And all of the magazines are gone." She indicated the clean coffee table. "We were subscribed to a lot, but they've disappeared."

"I don't remember the last time your mom referenced one of those magazines."

"Is Mom OK with money?" Rory asked in a small voice. She scowled. "You're helping with the bills, aren't you?"

"Actually, I've yet to see one." And that, she saw that was something that had just occurred to him as well. "Aw, geez."

"Mia gave them that money," Rory said quickly.

"And they're going through it very fast." At her confused look, Luke shrugged. "The diner has become your mom's de-facto office and I'm the messenger boy. Everything seems to start at $4,000 these days."

"Mom's not going to lose the house is she?" Rory's voice skated up several octaves, and she pressed her hand to her stomach in an attempt to calm down.

"No, of course not."

She started to pace the living room, ideas and half-formed thoughts running through her mind so fast that it was hard to latch onto just one. "I mean, I can cut down on my expenses. Eating out, gone. Books? I'll see if I can get them to raise my limit at the library. I'll make over my own clothes!" She spun back to Luke, eyes bright with panic. "I'll teach myself how to sew! Mom's got yarn, I'll make socks!"

"Rory," Luke said in the same tone of voice he used when calming her mother down, but she was too far in her head to notice.

"I'll find a better part-time job than swiping cards at the dining hall. I'll quit the newspaper, get a real job." She thumped a fist in the palm of her other hand. "I can talk to Grandma and Grandpa like I did with Yale!"

"Your mom would never forgive you if you did any of that." Luke shoved his hands in his pockets, toeing the ground with his boot for a moment before looking up at her. "Look, even if anything happened to the inn, your mom won't lose this house. Don't worry about it. Go do what college kids do."

"I can live without the heat. I'll just wear layers." To prove her point, Rory snagged the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped herself in it.

"Rory, stop panicking."

"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine. I'm fine and in control." Rory pulled the afghan tighter around her. "You believe me, right?"

Luke merely arched an eyebrow. "No."

Rory nodded. "Good."

"Look, your mom and I will have a talk, and everything will be fine."

"Promise?" She already knew the answer. Luke made everything OK. He always made everything OK for her and her mom. That was what he did. He brought her mashed potatoes when she had the chicken pox, hauled beat-up old mattresses around Connecticut, and flew to Europe on a whim just to give them a few hundred Euro when her mom's debit card was stolen. So when he nodded his response, the fear in her gut eased.

"Why don't you go hang out at the diner? The apartment up there's warm." He fished in his pocket until he pulled out his keyring, separated out one of the keys, and handed it to her.. "You know, there's that extra bed. Have a sleepover or something with Lane. Help yourselves to stuff in the kitchen, but don't use the grill unless Denise is there."

"Thanks, Luke," Rory said gratefully and shuffled off to her room to pack.

* * *

As soon as Rory left, Luke did the one thing he told himself he'd never do when he moved into Lorelai's house - snoop through her things. He proceeded to do the next hour doing just that, turning the living room and kitchen upside down and putting it back together again in an attempt to find the bills. When he found nothing, he thought about searching the bedroom, but he knew Lorelai well enough that she wouldn't keep any financial documents up there unless it was part of the wad she stuck in the safe when he installed it in the closet.

At a loss, he went into the kitchen to start dinner. He pulled open the freezer and stared blankly at the contents, his brain not quite focusing on the task at hand. He pulled out the plastic container of fennel from August, sighed at it and shook his head, then put it back in the freezer. Instead, he pulled out a package of cheese tortellini then went into the refrigerator for spinach, cream, and butter. Within 10 minutes, he had a fragrant soup bubbling on the stove and a quick loaf of bread in the oven.

There wasn't much to do until the tortellini cooked, so he found himself pacing the kitchen and absently washing dishes. When those were done, he opened the cabinets and began testing the shelves to make sure everything was sturdy. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He had been so caught up with the fun and joy that was his family that it didn't occur to him to ask how much his share of the bills were. He assumed Lorelai would come to him about that on her own, and it never occurred to him that she wouldn't do so.

A few shelves wobbled, and he was just turning to get Bert when Lorelai blew in through the back door with her computer bag in her arms. Abruptly, Luke realized that was where the bills were and was sorely tempted to smack himself in the forehead for not realizing it earlier.

"Hey, babe!" She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and dumped the bag on the table. "You smell good. Is that soup?" She eyed the package of spinach warily. "You're not ruining it with that are you?"

"Yes, it's soup, and yes, the spinach is going in it." Luke stared down at the pot, trying to tamp down the irritation that had a good hour to build. He blew out a breath. "Look, we need to talk."

"Sure, what's up?" Lorelai was busy setting up Sadie on the table, pulling out stacks of papers and her planner to arrange them around the laptop.

"I was wondering, how much is my share of the utilities?"

Her head snapped up. "Sorry?"

Luke made a gesture at the light fixture. "Heat. Lights. Water. Things like that."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Lorelai dismissed him with a casual wave as she sat at the table and booted the laptop.

Luke turned down the heat on the stove before dropping into the seat opposite from her. "Lorelai, I live here. I should be helping with the bills."

"You've been buying all the groceries and doing all the cooking. You've single-handedly kept me and Rory from constructing that huge fort of Al's takeout boxes that I've always wanted to make, and that's a huge help. Though we really need to talk about your vegetable addiction."

He lightly rapped a fist on the table. "I consume resources, and I should be paying for them."

"Rory consumes resources too, and I don't make her pay for them. Have you seen the amount of laundry a college kid generates? I tell you, I thought I did a lot of it when Rory was a baby, but it's nothing compared to a Yale freshman." Lorelai cast a wary eye toward the laundry room, as if Rory's laundry was about to leap out and attack them at any second.

Oh, no. He wasn't about to let her steer the conversation off track. Not this time. "Don't you think I haven't noticed? We live in the same house. I've noticed you running around turning off the lights and turning down the heat until it's near freezing. Rory says half the cable package is gone. You steal the bills before I can even see them."

"Your name isn't on them," she huffed.

"Something tells me that if I wasn't there, there'd be no food in the house at all." A small kernel of panic suddenly formed in his gut. "Are you in trouble?"

"No," Lorelai snapped. "Everything's fine. I can handle it."

"Fine," Luke snapped back and shoved out of the chair.

"What're you doing?" she asked as he stormed into the living room and flipped the heating vent open before walking back into the kitchen and doing the one there.

"Opening all the vents. Don't argue with me on this one, Lorelai. You can do whatever the hell you want with the TV, but we've got to stay warm."

"I don't want you to think I'm mooching off you."

Luke looked up, expecting her anger. The weariness in her voice made his irritation drain away, replaced by a healthy amount of worry. There were smudges of exhaustion under her eyes, and he found himself wondering what Lorelai was doing when he went to sleep. They went to bed together, and she was by his side when he woke up in the morning, but he wondered how much time she spent actually sleeping.

"You're not," he told her, his voice quiet.

She fiddled with one of the pieces of paper next to the laptop. "I'm not used to this, OK?"

"Neither am I." He slid back into his seat. "Please, let me help."

"You're still paying for all the utilities with the apartment."

"I'd be paying for them regardless, because they're all wrapped into what I pay for the diner." Luke went for the big guns. "Lorelai, Rory knows something's wrong. She offered to make her own clothes."

Lorelai stared at him for a solid five seconds before she burst out laughing. "Don't you remember the time she took home ec in 8th grade?"

"When she walked into the diner with a skirt sewn to her jeans and a spool of thread tangled in her hair?" It had taken Lorelai a good 45 minutes, three cups of coffee, and two slices of apple pie to get Rory detangled from her assignment.

"First student in Stars Hollow Middle School to be forbidden to even look at a sewing machine. I think they still have the anti-Rory warding signs still up on the classroom door. Where is she anyhow?" She turned her head toward Rory's room.

"At the old apartment hanging out with Lane. I've been thinking about leasing the space to her." Luke glanced over at the soup, then got up to check on it.

"Oh yeah?"

Deciding the tortellini was cooked through, he consulted the recipe pinned to the corkboard near the stove, added cream and parmesan cheese to the pot, and stirred. "She's not the happiest at home. I get that. It's a good apartment, and now that Jess is gone, I'm not doing anything with it. She can use Jess' old bed, and we'll store mine in the garage here."

"Where all the band stuff is."

"Right. Basement." He added the package of spinach, stirred it quickly to let it wilt, then removed the pot from the heat. He grabbed a potholder to pull the bread from the oven.

"OK. Half the bills," she conceded.

"Call for more heating oil."

"All right." Lorelai watched as Luke ladled soup into bowls and brought one over to her side, putting it down in the only empty spot on the table. "I'm really not mooching off you?"

"No. Eat your soup." He squeezed her shoulder before getting his own.

* * *

Lorelai lay in bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling as she waited. It wouldn't take long.

She turned her head to watch Luke sleep, gauging just how far under he was. She had to time it just right. If she moved too early, he would rouse and wonder where she was going. He always slept in the same manner, which didn't surprise her the least. She was liable to do anything when she was asleep. One morning, when Rory had been a toddler, she had woken up completely stripped out of her nightgown with her head at the foot of the bed and her feet on her pillow. She was also known to remove her pajama top in her sleep when she got hot and had done so in Vienna while sharing a room with Luke and Rory. It was hard to tell which of them had been more mortified when they woke up to find Lorelai's top across the room and her girls greeting the morning for the whole world to see.

But Luke was Luke, and he was steady and sure even in his sleep. He would start out on his back and at some point roll and curl around her, where he remained for the rest of the night. Lorelai thought such a thing would be suffocating, and it wasn't. It truly wasn't. It was safe, comforting, endearing, loving, and a lot more linked thesaurus entries. She just didn't need it right now. She was constantly surprised by how quickly she had grown used to sharing a bed with Luke, considering that when she tried with Max, it had failed so horribly that it surely would be recorded in several dating advice books of what not to do.

She waited until his breathing deepened to the point where she was sure he was in a deep sleep, then eased out from under the blankets.

Even though she missed Rory's first night home from her first semester of Yale, her being gone gave her enough time to finish her project. Lorelai dug in the hall closet until she pulled out a box labeled "Rory's textbooks." It was an effective hiding place for a lot of things, including the Christmas gifts she had in various states of progress. A pair of circular knitting needles held a hat that matched the scarf she made Luke for his birthday. Wooden blocks she had found at a thrift store and repainted were waiting for Davey, along with a couple of vintage cookbooks that Sookie would adore. There were various other gifts for her friends, a combination of homemade and thrift store finds. The largest was a folded quilt, and this was the item she took out now.

The quilt was mostly made up of squares cut from Rory's Chilton uniforms, no longer needed since they were done with the place. Lorelai had bought a couple yards of contrasting green and blue cotton that matched the plaid, along with white eyelet cloth, and the resulting patchwork was beautiful and suitable for Rory's first apartment. She carefully smoothed navy blue cotton over the carpet in the living room, taping down the edges and shoving furniture back until she had enough room. Then, she unrolled a sheet of batting and spread it over the cotton, then carefully centered the quilt in the center before grabbing material to baste it together.

It was a mindless enough task that her mind drifted to the proposed budget that Natalie had given her earlier that day for decorating the inn. Lorelai had split their budget in half, dedicating half to decorating and renovation and the other half to ordering supplies and fixtures. Both sides were seeing dangerously low balances, no matter what she did to juggle money. She had a call out to a couple of banks, trying to secure lines of credit, but the initial prognosis was poor. Her own struggling credit rating, which had come back to bite her at several points over the past couple of years, was rearing itself again. Even though she had successfully paid back the loan from when termites decided the Crap Shack was a nummy snack, it still hadn't been enough to erase her past mistakes.

A check sat in her wallet from Luke, covering his half of the bills from when he moved in two months earlier to now, but even that wasn't enough to cover some of the new things that had sprang up in the Dragonfly renovation. It did give her a cushion for Christmas, to add a few things from the mall alongside the homemade gifts. She needed to talk to Sookie, see if maybe there was a nest egg they had overlooked.

She thought of Sookie's offer to restart their catering business. Maybe there was something there to consider. Lorelai sat back on her heels and rubbed her eyes. Blearily, she stared at the clock, then began to carefully fold the basted-together quilt. She would have to do the final sewing another night. She didn't want her family to worry about money, and they were doing exactly that, so she needed to fill in the gap. She had skills, good skills. Maybe someone was looking for a party planner. Christmas was just a couple weeks away. Thoughtful, Lorelai exchanged the quilt for the hat, then plopped on the couch to knit and think her plan over.

—

If held at gunpoint and asked what they talked about during Friday night dinner that week, Lorelai would have to simply duck and hope the shot wouldn't hit her, because she hadn't a clue what her mother, father, and Rory were discussing. Instead, she was mentally replaying the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, recasting it with the people in her life. She was Lucy, of course, which made Luke Charlie Brown. He was laconic enough for it to work. She wondered if she could talk him into letting her pull a football away as he tried to kick it. She decided Kirk could be Linus, and needed a role for Rory. Sally just didn't quite fit.

A sharp pain in the side of her ankle forced her to jerk her head up. "Ow!" she protested, glaring at Rory. "Stop kicking me!"

"I kicked you because you fell asleep, Mom!"

Startled, Lorelai threw wild looks at her parents, who were both staring at her as if she'd grown another head. "I was sleeping?"

"Is everything all right, Lorelai?" her father asked.

"Lorelai, it is rude to fall asleep at the table," her mother scolded. "But yes, is everything OK?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. Just stimulating conversation." Right. Don't stay up until 4 a.m. working on Christmas gifts before Friday night dinner.

"Clearly it's not that stimulating if you're falling asleep at the dinner table," Emily replied.

"Well, sleep is supposed to help you process the stuff in your short term memory, and I have a lot going on in there lately. I think it just went into overdrive." Lorelai took a bite of salmon just to ignore the disbelieving looks from her family. Plus, it wasn't that bad. She would even give the asparagus a try, as long as there was plenty of hollandaise sauce to hide the asaparagusness of it all.

Rory was staring at her with that calculating look that Lorelai was well familiar with, where her brain was playing Tetris with all the bits and pieces of information she was being fed and trying to form a cohesive whole out of all of it. She was still attempting to process it when they managed to finish dinner and bid their good-byes for another week.

Emily walked with them to the front door, where the maid was waiting with Lorelai and Rory's winter gear.

"So, what time am I expecting you for the party?" Emily asked.

"Rory and I will be here around our usual time," Lorelai replied as she shrugged into her coat.

"I'm sorry if I didn't make myself clear. What time will all three of you be here?"

Lorelai froze, one arm still stuck in her coat sleeve. "I'm sorry?"

Emily stared at her as if Lorelai was still a teenager trying to worm her way out of a debutante ball. "You're still dating Luke, aren't you?"

"No, that hasn't changed in the past three hours," Lorelai said through gritted teeth.

"Well, then he's expected to come to the party with you. It's Christmas, Lorelai. Surely the man can find some way to take time off a few hours to attend a family event." Emily's stern expression was replaced with a resigned sigh. "Your grandmother is also attending."

"Mom," Lorelai started to protest, but she was immediately cut off.

"I will see you all next Friday." Emily turned to Rory. "Good night, Rory, dear."

"Good night, Grandma." Rory kissed Emily's cheek before moving past Lorelai to the door. "Coat," she murmured, and Lorelai quickly pushed her arm into the sleeve and followed Rory outside.

They climbed into the Jeep, and Lorelai just sat, staring through the windshield at the hedges.

"Mom, I don't think he'll mind," Rory said.

"Your grandparents don't know we're living together."

"What?" Rory gaped. "But he moved in two months ago!"

"I know, I know." Lorelai rested her forehead on the steering wheel.

"Does Luke know they don't know?"

"No," she admitted.

Rory drummed her fingers on her purse. "I know I haven't made it to every Friday night dinner since I started Yale, but …"

"He hasn't come with me," Lorelai interjected. "Not since the night before you started Yale."

"Oh, Mom," Rory sighed. "No wonder Grandma's been getting onto you."

"I just …"

"Mom," Rory said quietly, "if what happened in Rome didn't scare Luke off, I highly doubt the annual Gilmore Christmas party will."

"Complete with Grandma?" Lorelai asked, referring to Trix.

"It comes with plenty of entertainment."

"Yeah, the floor show's not to be missed," Lorelai muttered, cranking the engine and backing down the driveway. "Maybe I can just spring it on him after sex."

Rory yelped and slammed her hands over her ears. "I'm not listening!"

Lorelai winced. "Sorry. Filter's broken. Forgive me?"

"Is this before or after the therapy sessions?" Rory sniffed. "You can buy me off by getting a peppermint mocha from Starbucks."

"Deal."

Rory stared at her purse again. "That is if you can afford it."

A little twinge of panic leaped into Lorelai's throat, and she quickly fought it back with the skill of a parent who spent the better portion of two decades pretending that everything was fine. "What? Of course I can afford a mocha. Where's this coming from?" She already knew the answer. She knew exactly where it was coming from. She plunged ahead without letting Rory answer. "Look, the whole thing with the bills was because I never talked to Luke about splitting them. It's not on him. I was comfortable with the way things were, and he cooks for us. Do you realize how much takeout we're not buying now?"

"This is true," Rory conceded. "And I get regular care packages of muffins."

Since they were at a red light, Lorelai shot a surprised look at her. "You do?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Rory's mouth. "You didn't know?"

"The man's full of surprises." Yet, this one shouldn't had surprised her the way it had, but it still caught her off-guard whenever she was reminded that Luke was a better father to Rory than her own flesh and blood.

"I know you two got laptops, but he's still trying to get through Order of the Phoenix because of work and everything, so he keeps scribbling down observations on napkins, sends them to me and apologizes because he wasn't reading as fast as he was during the summer."

"So, basically, buy him a pad of paper for Christmas." And some time to get through that book before Rory exploded from trying to withhold spoilers.

"I think it's sweet."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, it is."

* * *

It took until the following afternoon for Lorelai to work up enough nerve to bring up the subject. She and Rory wound up sitting and chatting at Starbucks until it closed, then they migrated to Denny's for late night pancakes and more chatting. It felt good just to simply _be_ with her daughter. She had missed this time like an amputated limb during the months that Rory had been at Yale. Sure, she came home frequently, but already her visits were starting to decrease as she settled into college life.

By the time they got home, it was 2 a.m., and it wasn't important enough to wake up Luke. When she got up herself, he had been at work for several hours. Lorelai pulled herself together, gathered her work materials, and headed toward the diner. Just outside the door, she rolled to her toes and took several deep breaths. Squeezing her eyes shut, she banged the door open and rushed inside.

"I need you to come to my parents' Christmas party with me," she blurted.

"OK?"

Lorelai opened her eyes to see a confused Lane standing at the register and half of the customers staring at her. Those who were familiar with her antics simply turned back to their own food. "You're not Luke."

"Not the last time I checked. Are you OK, Lorelai?" Lane asked as Lorelai scouted out the only empty table. She dumped her things on it.

"Yeah, yeah, fine. Where is he?"

"Taking the trash out." Lane motioned to the curtain and turned to the coffeemaker. "Let me get you some coffee."

"You are my favorite kid that's not named Rory." Lorelai headed into the storeroom and saw the back door open and movement behind one of the shelves. "I need you to go to my parents' Christmas party with me!"

Cesar stuck his head out from behind the shelving. "Sure, but I think the boss would be a little jealous."

Zero for two. Damn it. "Oh, oh, sorry, Cesar. Outside?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

Lorelai headed out the back and down the stairs, spotting Luke crouched by the fence near the dumpster. "Luke? I need a huge favor."

Without looking up from whatever he was studying, he beckoned to her. "Come here."

"Look, this I know you don't want to do this, but … oh god." Lorelai dropped to her knees next to him, looking at the still animal curled against the side of the dumpster. Her heart leaped into her throat. "Is it …?"

"Yeah." Luke ran a gloved hand down the deceased cat's back, four equally still kittens tucked against her side. "All except this one." He revealed what he held in his other hand, and Lorelai gasped. A tiny black and white kitten, no more than three weeks old, squinted up at her.

"I saw the litter when I was taking out the trash, and this guy was the only one moving, and he was crying. Not sure if the rest froze to death or just starved."

"Oh my god, these poor babies." Lorelai ran a fingertip down the kitten's back as it mewed. "We've got to get it to the vet."

"I was about to head over. Wanna go with me?"

"Of course."

* * *

They arrived back at the Crap Shack an hour later with kitten milk replacer, a package of supplies from the vet, and the kitten cradled in Lorelai's hands.

"We are not cat people," Luke muttered as he held the kitchen door open.

"Don't listen to Daddy, Buddy Holly," Lorelai cooed to the kitten as they walked into the warm kitchen.

"Aw no, you named the kitten."

"Two days ago, you said we weren't dog people," Lorelai pointed out. There had been an adoption fair on the town square again, and she had insisted on going to look at the puppies. To be honest, she always considered herself more likely to get a dog than a cat, but she couldn't just leave that abandoned kitten behind.

"They're messy and smelly and require baths. You rearrange your entire life around them and for what?" Luke dropped the package on the table and turned to her. "And cats! You're not a cat person either. Do we have to remind you about the gerbil again?"

Always with the gerbil. Lorelai rolled her eyes at him. "Cats hunt mice."

"The mice you don't have because I set traps out," Luke pointed out as he absently stroked the kitten's back before taking it from her. "Here, I'll hold him while you feed."

"You softie," Lorelai teased and prepared the syringe the way the vet taught them. The kitten immediately tried to suckle as she dripped the food into his mouth. She whispered baby nonsense words as the kitten took the food. She let him latch onto the syringe, and rubbed his head as he suckled the end.

"I was wondering if you could get Friday night off?" Lorelai asked quietly.

Without disturbing the kitten, Luke flicked his gaze up at her. "Oh?"

It was far easier having to do this when there was a kitten between them. "My parents are having their annual Christmas party. Yes, I know it's not Christmas yet, but they like having it super early, because they're usually traveling over the holiday itself." She sighed. "Anyhow, they would like for you to be there with us."

"OK."

"OK? No problem?" She winged an eyebrow at Luke. "Really?"

"Really." Luke pulled the kitten into his chest as he finished the food. "You don't burp them, do you?"

"No." Lorelai grinned at him. "Just the human ones."

"That's what I thought." He lowered Buddy Holly to the ground and gathered the trash.

"I thought I would have to cajole you at the very least."

Luke shrugged. "You put up with my insanity at Thanksgiving. Least I could do is put up with yours for Christmas."

Greatly relieved, Lorelai sat back in her chair. "Huh. So this is love."

"Sure looks like it."

They smiled at each other and spent the next hour watching their newest family member explore their home.

* * *

 _Author's note: Luke's soup recipe is real, and it is amazing. I tested it while writing the chapter and it is a keeper. Google "Creamy Parm Tomato Soup" from Delish._


	9. The Christmas Invasion

This chapter is dedicated to lots-and-lots-of-coffee on Tumblr, who has been wanting to see more of this story for ages. This one's for you!

* * *

 _Chapter 9: The Christmas Invasion_

OK. Lorelai was ready. She was the most ready of readies. She was as ready as she was ever going to get. She straightened the hem of her red party dress and did a mental survey. Acceptable, yet flirty dress? Check. Best daughter on the planet bearing the token gift they were expected to give despite the fact they were related to the hosts? Check. Hot boyfriend staring at the house like it was about to eat him? Well … might want to get him to at least close his mouth.

Lorelai leaned into him. "Why are you gawking?"

Luke made an absent gesture with his hand, succinctly summing up the excessiveness of the house with one wave. "I've only been here the one other time, and I didn't get a good look then because you were too busy shoving me inside. This place is huge!"

"It's pretty impressive," Rory agreed.

"Don't linger too long, or it'll trap you like a siren," Lorelai muttered and rang the bell.

The maid of the week opened the door, and there were so many people clustered into the foyer that she didn't even bother to ask about her name. She efficiently whisked their coats and the gift away, and maybe, just maybe that maid had a chance of making it to the new year.

Luke stared after the maid, culture shock in full effect. "There wasn't a maid here last time."

"That's because Mom fired her between when Dad came to Stars Hollow to get us and when we got here. You know Murphy Brown and the secretaries? Mom puts her to shame." Lorelai didn't bother to point out the half-dozen maids that had come in the weeks since. Instead, she grabbed Luke's arm and pulled him toward the living room with an amused Rory trailing behind them.

"Where are we going?"

The closest thing to heaven this house would ever have - the drinks cart. "Alcohol. Lots of it."

Proving that anyone with the name "Lorelai" was indeed one smart cookie, Trix was sitting on the couch closest to the cart. "Hello, Lorelai," she said as Lorelai began assembling a martini for herself.

"Hey, Grandma," she absently replied, surveying the array of drinks. She went for the Scotch, pouring a splash into a glass and pushing it into Luke's hands. "Here."

He frowned into it. "Scotch?"

"Expensive Scotch." She clinked her glass to his. "Hope you like it."

"So, is this your young man, Lorelai?" Trix spoke from where she was eying Luke critically.

 _Let the games begin_. Lorelai fought the urge to down the martini in one gulp, but out of everyone in her family, her grandmother ranked on the safer end of the scale. Besides, Luke was already putting his drink down to take Trix's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Gilmore," he said.

Trix grabbed hold of his hand and turned it, inspecting the palm and the fingernails closely. "Look at your shoulders. They're very broad. And these are a working man's hands. Richard tells me you own a restaurant in Stars Hollow."

"Well." Luke tried to ease his hand away, but Trix's hold was like a vice. He gave up the struggle.

"Town diner," Lorelai cut in. "Extremely popular. Happening place right there. Why, people practically live there."

"One person in particular," Luke muttered under his breath, and Rory giggled. Traitor, Lorelai thought.

Trix finally let go and gave him a firm nod. "You are a go-getter. I like those. How old were you when you went into business for yourself?"

"Ah … 26."

"And that was?"

"11 years ago."

"Are you really using this method to ask Luke his age, Grandma?"

"Lorelai, I am talking to your young man," Trix admonished her, and to prove her point, angled her body to shut her out. "Tell me, where did you get your degree from?"

"Grandma."

"It's all right," Luke reassured her. "I never finished college. My dad was sick, so I dropped out to take care of him."

Trix frowned. "Education is important."

"Yes, it is," he agreed.

"But family is more important." Trix straightened, grasping the end of her cane in a way that made it look like she was about to get up, but Lorelai knew better. "I have looked into you. You are worthy to take care of my granddaughter. You are in a stable financial situation, you have investments in local real estate, and my daughter-in-law can't stand you. You have my blessing."

"Thank you," Luke said with appropriate gravity, and the knot in Lorelai's stomach loosened. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad evening after all. Sure, her own mother was largely a lost cause, but if they could get through an evening of idle chatter with the Harvard elite with this amount of politeness, maybe it would be just a 2-martini night.

"And Lorelai?"

"Yes, Grandma?"

"I want to be there when you tell your mother the two of you are living together. I have a bet on how many shades of purple her face is going to turn."

Rory chortled, and Lorelai shot her a look that clearly told her to zip it as Luke went pale next to them. She grabbed his arm and steered him away from Trix.

"And that's my grandmother."

"I like her. I don't know why, but I do."

"You clearly don't have enough alcohol in you."

Luke frowned at her. "You didn't tell your mother we're living together?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Not in so many words."

"Christ, Lorelai."

"I mean, she asks how you are, because it's the top rule in the politeness book. You know, inquire about my health, about Rory's, about her daughter's boyfriend that she would gladly trade in for an upgrade if she could. She never specifically asked me if we were living together." Lorelai squeezed his arm. "Look, you can be pissed at me, but it was for the good of the order. Just remember how well my mom took the news that we were traveling Europe together with Rory."

Luke downed back half the Scotch. "At least tell her before we have two kids or something like that."

"What about the kitten?"

"The kitten isn't our child."

"Funny, the 2 a.m. feedings sure make it feel that way."

Lorelai's gaze flittered toward the door as it opened once more, and a small jolt of surprise went through her as two of the last people she expected at a Gilmore Christmas party these days walked inside. Handing her martini to Luke, she walked over to greet Christopher and Sherry. "Hey, you!"

"Lor, hey!" Chris beamed at her as he handed off his coat to the maid.

"Hey, Sherry!" Lorelai turned to her. She hadn't seen Sherry since G.G.'s birth, and she quickly noticed that Sherry had had a much easier time dealing with post-pregnancy weight than she had.

"Hey, Lorelai!" Sherry smiled at her with genuine warmth, which never failed to make her feel slightly off-kilter. It was still 17 different kinds of weird that Chris' wife thought highly of her, especially given the little interlude she and Chris had when he had broken it off with Sherry.

"What brings the two of you here?"

"We got an invitation. It was even made out to both of us."

"It's really very sweet, and we brought your mother a fruit basket to thank her."

Lorelai motioned toward the small room just off the foyer. "Well, you can just put it over there with all the other fruit baskets."

Like a ghost materializing out of thin air, Emily appeared at Lorelai's side, causing her to jump. "Christopher! It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you again too, Emily. This is my wife, Sherry." Chris gestured her forward so Sherry could shake Emily's hand.

"So nice to finally meet you." Emily took Sherry's hand briefly and let it slide away quickly in a gesture that Lorelai well recognized. Sherry was not on the Emily Gilmore approval list. "Won't you have a drink?"

"What's with the face?" Chris asked as Emily escorted Sherry to the drinks cart.

"Why is my mother being having that way to Sherry? Well, nice in a way that a barracuda is before leaping on its prey."

"You know the language of the Hartford elite. I warned Sherry about it. C'mon, let's get you a drink. Where's your guy?"

Still guarding her martini, she hoped. Lorelai glanced quickly over her shoulder to see Luke where she left him, holding both drinks and giving Chris a dark look that spoke of no good. "How do you know about Luke?" she asked as she followed Chris to get a drink.

"Contrary to popular opinion, I do keep in touch with my kid. There's this thing called email. Pretty handy. Where is he anyhow?"

"He was just …," Lorelai started to say, but Chris looked over her shoulder and spotted Luke in the corner.

"Giving me the beady eye."

"Chris."

"Wasn't expecting that." He assembled components for a mixed drink, and Lorelai sighed.

"The last time he saw you, you were yelling at me in the middle of his diner," she pointed out.

"Huh. Forgot about that."

Rory bounced over at that point, catching Chris' sleeve. "Hey, Dad!"

"Hey, kid!" He gave her a one-armed hug and Lorelai left her to him.

She weaved her way back to the crowd to Luke's side and took the martini from him. "Stop looking like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're going to punch him." Lorelai gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder as she sipped at her martini. "You haven't even really talked to him."

"He hasn't really endeared himself to me over the years."

"You know there's nothing between us anymore other than Rory, right?"

"I know." The words sounded like they were ripped from his throat.

"OK. Come on." Lorelai all but dragged him over to where Chris, Sherry, and Rory were gathered.

* * *

"There you are, Lorelai, I've been looking for you."

Lorelai silently congratulated herself. She managed to evade her mother for a whole 36 minutes. It helped that she had a shiny toy in the form of her boyfriend, who managed to move past the whole deer-in-headlights look to a state of numbness. In the space of that half hour, Luke had been sized up, sized down, and had his ass pinched at least three times. After the third, he shoved his Scotch glass in her hands and fled for the upstairs bathroom - more to escape than anything.

She really didn't blame him. It was a trick she utilized often.

Lorelai was plotting how to get Luke into her childhood bedroom for some vastly inappropriate activities when Emily materialized at her shoulder, a man with a DSLR tripod over one shoulder just behind her. Emily motioned to Richard's office, and the man disappeared inside.

"What's with the photographer, Mom?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, I decided that since this is the 25th Christmas party we've thrown that we would commemorate it. And, I thought while the photographer was here that we could get some family photos since we are all dressed up."

Huh. Lorelai nodded thoughtfully. "That actually makes a lot of sense."

Emily smiled in a way that made Lorelai realize that she had just waltzed herself right into a trap. "I'm glad you agree. He's setting up now in your father's study. If you can get Rory and Christopher and meet us in there, we can get your family out of the way."

Warning bells blared in Lorelai's head. "Rory and Christopher?"

"Well, yes? Who else?" Emily strode toward Richard's office.

Lorelai fell in step behind her. "Not Luke and Sherry."

"They're not necessary." Emily motioned to where the photographer was setting up his equipment. "I want that portrait in the wall in the background, please, and we'll do another set in front of the tree."

"Mom! You can't just leave them out!" Lorelai protested as she weaved around the photographer.

"I would like a photograph together of my granddaughter with her parents. The last I checked, neither Luke nor Sherry are Rory's parents."

"Yes, and you got that two years ago when you guilted Rory into going through her debut." It actually wasn't a horrible photo. The official photographer for the ball had herded Lorelai, Chris, and Rory into a standard posed photo that wound up costing an arm and a leg. There really hadn't been any more opportunities for a family photo since. The last logical time would had been Rory's graduation, but Chris had skipped it - like he had so many important milestones in his daughter's life.

Emily rolled her eyes. "And as you point out, it was two years ago. Rory's in college now. It's the perfect time for a new picture."

"No, Mom, I see what you're doing. It's one thing when Chris and I are by ourselves with Rory, but we both have other people with us. Not just dates, but long-term partners."

"Who aren't Rory's parents, so they should understand why the photo should just be the three of you." Emily turned her back to Lorelai to continue the photo setup.

"No. Not playing this game." And Lorelai knew exactly what her mother was doing. She didn't mind having a photo of her, Chris, and Rory. It was the fact that her mother was purposefully doing it in front of Luke and Sherry, to cruelly remind them that neither of them were in Emily Gilmore's idea of a perfect family for her daughter.

"Lorelai, don't be unreasonable."

"No, Mom, being unreasonable is staging a photo of what _you_ feel is a happy family in front of two people who care for Rory very much." No matter how strange she felt about Sherry, Lorelai was quite sure that she cared for Rory.

Emily sighed. "There's no guarantee that they'll be there for Rory in six months, a year, or longer."

Lorelai motioned at the door. "Yes, they will! Mom, Luke has been there for her since she was 11. God, she didn't even know him and he went to her caterpillar's funeral because she asked. I think nearly eight years is a damn good track record. And Sherry is Rory's stepmother! There's legal paperwork and everything!"

"Lorelai, the photographer is waiting."

"Well, you're just going to have to put in a cardboard cutout for me, because I'm not participating." Lorelai pivoted, marching for the door, not caring that the party had all but stumbled to a halt as the argument escalated and that several people had clustered around the door - including Luke and Rory.

Bypassing the coats, Lorelai slammed out the front door and hitched her breath when she saw the Jeep was blocked in. Not to mention she lacked her purse, her coat, her car keys, her kid, and her boyfriend. She rubbed her arms, the cold finally penetrating for the first time.

She heard the door softly open behind her, then a familiar scent as Luke draped his suit jacket around her shoulders. She clutched the lapels together. "I knew this was going to happen. She was going to do something like this, I knew it in my bones."

"It's all right."

"How much did you hear?" Lorelai asked.

Luke shrugged. "Enough."

Code for pretty much everything. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged again. "To be honest, I kind of was expecting something like this."

She leaned into him. "I want to go home."

Behind them, the front door opened and Chris poked his head out. "Hey."

Lorelai managed a half-smile, but thankfully Chris wasn't someone she had to really pretend around. "Hey, Chris."

Chris opened the door wider, gesturing toward the hall. "Um … sorry about in there."

"Not your fault." Great. Either Rory told him or he overheard himself. Granted, the way she and her mother were yelling by the end, Lorelai wouldn't be surprised if they were heard in Stars Hollow. "Did Sherry overhear?"

"Nah, she was in the bathroom." Chris shoved his hands in his pockets. "I just want you to know I had nothing to do with this."

"You were blindsided just as much as I was. Where's Rory?" Lorelai peered over his shoulder.

"Placating your mother." Chris shifted his gaze to Luke. "Sorry."

"It happens," Luke replied, but Lorelai felt him go still beside her. She was tempted to rub his arm until he calmed down, but she had to admit that Chris hadn't endeared himself in the past.

"Family, huh?" Chris nodded to the blocked-in cars. "You're not leaving anytime soon. Why don't I get Sherry and Rory and we get a drink?"

Now _there_ was a good idea. "Poolhouse?"

"Meet you there."

* * *

One thing that always blew Luke's mind about rich people was their need for multiple houses. On one level, he got it. He owned a cabin on the lake that he had inherited from his dad. But on another level, rich people felt the need to put multiple houses on the same property. Like mother-in-law apartments. Or in this case, a pool house. Because clearly rich people needed a separate house just for the pool.

He had followed Lorelai, Chris, Rory, and Sherry into the place, and it took all of 10 minutes before he slipped out the side door and onto a porch that overlooked the pool. That sick, twisted feeling was back in his gut, that sense of not being wanted. It felt like Rome all over again, even though he knew full damn well how Lorelai felt about him.

Truth was, Emily didn't need to stage a family photo to make Luke feel inadequate about his role in Lorelai and Rory's lives. Just seeing them together with Chris was enough to make him want to punch a wall. It didn't help that the elder Gilmores, or at least Emily, still were fixated on Christopher Hayden being the missing component of Lorelai's nuclear family. He felt weirdly needy and hoped the mess of cars would clear out soon so he and the girls could go home.

Behind him, the door opened with a soft click. Christopher Hayden stepped outside, two bottles of beer in hand. "So the conversation turned to Sephora and I decided it was time for a breather. Need another?"

"No, I'm good." Luke held up his own bottle of beer, barely touched. He took a swig and refocused on the pool.

Chris set the spare bottle of beer on the table. "I never imagined Lor dating someone so … quiet."

Luke shrugged. His capacity for small talk had petered out at least an hour ago.

"Not the biggest fan of me, huh?"

Luke stared at him. "I hardly know you."

"No, you've hardly seen me in person, but you _know_ of me. Just like I know all about you. Been in your place a few times, coffee's great. And the girls." Chris waved toward the pool house. "They can't stop talking about you. Every time I talk to Lor or Rory, they've been in your place, you've fixed something around the house, you made a cake for Rory's birthday, so on and so forth. It was easy to tell when you two got together. She suddenly stopped talking about you. Lorelai that is. Rory filled me in." Chris took a pull from his beer. "Look, I know I put her through the wringer a time or two."

"A time or two?" Luke repeated, the bitterness seeping through.

"But I'm glad she's happy. Sherry and I have our issues, but Lorelai has never been one of them."

"Does she know about last year?"

"You know about that?" Chris huffed. "No. But, we also weren't together at the time. I left Stars Hollow, went and talked to her, and we decided to give it another shot."

"Yet you wouldn't for Rory."

"You weren't there." Chris snapped. "All you people pass judgment on us, but you weren't there. You weren't 16 and scared shitless because your 15-year-old girlfriend just found out she's pregnant."

"No. I was 17 when I found out my sister was pregnant and was still scared shitless because the prize she picked up at the Weinerschnitzel bailed on her when my nephew was a year old, and she only had me and my dad," Luke shot back. "And then my dad got cancer. So you think your problems are worse than everyone else's?"

Something dark flashed in Chris' eyes. "I have been there for Rory in the past couple of years."

"Really, huh? Where were you when she graduated high school? Started college? Got the chicken pox? She wouldn't eat anything but mashed potatoes for a week!" Done with this, Luke marched back toward the poolhouse

"Look, I know I messed up, but I'm fixing it with G.G," Chris called after him.

"Unbelievable." Luke jerked the door open with such force that it nearly came off the hinges and stormed back into the house.

* * *

Lorelai's eyebrow winged as Luke stormed across the small living room of the poolhouse and out the front door. "Okay," she drawled, putting down her drink slowly as Chris walked back in the room. "What did you do, Chris?"

"Nothing. I was just talking with him." Chris grabbed the rest of Lorelai's drink and downed it. "I kinda want to hate him."

"Chris," Lorelai said in a warning tone.

"But the guy's crazy about you, so I can't hate him that much," Chris continued. "You really love him. I know you. I've known you all your life. You and me … you've never looked at me the way I caught you looking at him earlier. And Sherry …"

"You're happy with her, right?" Sherry and Rory had disappeared into the bedroom, where Sherry had insisted on showing Rory some sort of makeup technique. Sherry seemed perfectly fine, all bubbly and chatty as she normally was.

"Yeah. We have our issues, but we're making it work." Chris shoved his hands in his pocket. "So, think the two of you will get hitched?"

"We're living together."

Chris let out a low whistle. "Really? And Emily and Richard haven't hit the roof?"

Lorelai hunched her shoulders. "They doesn't know," she muttered.

"Really?" Chris moved to the drinks cart. "Are you driving?"

"No, Rory's our DD."

Chris promptly made her a new martini and handed it over. "Then you need more of this."

"For god's sake, it's 2003. A man and a woman living together isn't exactly a new thing." Because it was there, and god did she ever need it, Lorelai downed it in two swallows. She would gladly deal with the hangover in the morning. "Rory signed off on it and likes having him around - though probably more for the food that magically appears on the table and the new bookcase in her room more than anything."

"Uh huh." Chris picked up his beer and saluted her with her. "So, you selling tickets for when you tell them?"

"Chris."

"I'm just saying. You informing your parents about your new living arrangements ranks right up there with telling her about the fact that Rory is a thing that exists."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and went to find Luke. It took a good bit of evasive maneuvering, as she didn't want to get cornered by anyone that shared a last name with her - Rory being the obvious exception. She finally found Luke by the front door, peering anxiously outside as he fiddled with one of the hinges.

"Planning our escape route?"

"Still not much of one. Guy in a silver Mercedes left, but then this lady in an SUV the size of Texas managed to take up not only his spot, but she's really close to putting a few dents in that guy's Porsche over there."

Lorelai motioned to the small screwdriver in his hand. "And what's with the Bob Vila routine?"

"Well, I noticed the hinge was a bit loose, and I just happened to be carrying this." Luke showed her a small multitool.

"Uh huh. Service the boiler yet?"

"It was just a couple of small screws," Luke insisted.

"Garbage disposal working now?" Lorelai teased.

Luke sighed. "I just want to go home."

"Me too. We're leaving as soon as we figure out how to get the car out. Or maybe you can just build us some sort of ramp."

"Well, if I had some concrete blocks and …" His voice trailed away as he kneaded his forehead. "Never mind."

He was being entirely too adorable. Since they were alone, Lorelai gave him a quick kiss. "Are we OK?"

"We're fine." He gave her a half-smile that was probably more from the kiss than anything. So she gave him another and felt him relax even further.

"Trying to decide which was worse, Rome or now?"

"That night didn't end badly," his voice dropped, causing her toes to curl as she remembered how that night had ended.

"No, it didn't. Neither will this one." She moved into him, letting her kiss tell him exactly her plans for the two of them when they finally got back to Stars Hollow. "Now, I really want to go home," she murmured before going in for round two. This kiss was hotter, more urgent, and she sensed the moment when the tension just slipped away from him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, falling against the door as they forgot where they were and the embrace started to escalate past socially acceptable levels. Not that she particularly cared at the moment.

"Lorelai, what on earth are you doing? You can't just do that in the foyer."

Luke stiffened and Lorelai grabbed his arms to keep him from pulling entirely away. She leisurely ended the kiss and faced her mother, braced to do battle. "I can and I will. Because this is who I'm with, Mom. Not Chris, not anyone else."

Emily scowled. "You are being far too dramatic about the photo."

"Mom, Rory's family is more than me and her dad. It's Luke and Sherry and you and Dad and Grandma. If you really want a photo of Rory's entire family, all of us would be in it, and you would learn to accept it."

"And this, Emily, is why your daughter won't tell you that the two of them are living together."

 _Oh shit._ Lorelai felt the color drain from her face as Emily whirled around to see Trix standing a few feet behind them, leaning on her cane. She whipped back around to face Lorelai and Luke. "You're _what_?"

Trix smirked. "Well. I think that has made the evening totally worth it."


	10. Flatline

_Chapter 9: Flatline_

The first week of January, Tom installed the phones.

Lorelai learned about it when one shrilled into the emptiness of the front lobby. She shrieked, bringing Tom running from where he was installing hardware in the kitchen. She waved him away and, standing alone, took the first reservation for the Dragonfly Inn on the back of a receipt shoved into her purse. She stared at her scribbled writing with complete and utter panic at first, then a swell of pride. She reached for her cell phone to call Sookie, but it buzzed in her hand. Frowning at the unfamiliar number, she answered. "Hello?"

"Is this Lorelai Gilmore? I wanted to speak with you about a party I was planning."

Lorelai cast a glance around and walked to the stairs. She finally located her planner at the bottom of her purse and tucked the reservation among the May pages before flipping back to February. "Yeah, shoot!"

She scribbled the appointment in the planner, then glanced at her watch. With a groan, she got to her feet and headed for the car. Celebrating with Sookie and Michel would have to wait. She needed to get over to Waterbury.

Three hours later, she was heading back to Stars Hollow with a massive headache and a check tucked into the back of her planner. The Cartersons were paying her a handsome sum to plan their 45th wedding anniversary celebration, but the wife especially was difficult to deal with. It reminded her of some of her more challenging weddings at the Independence Inn, but she was good at soothing the skittish.

Lorelai pulled into the driveway of the Crap Shack and laid her head on the steering wheel. Over the past few weeks, she cultivated the party planner idea she had come up with while making Christmas presents. Despite reaching an agreement with Luke on the bills, the money in the Dragonfly accounts was rapidly depleting - even with Mia's gift. Worse, her own savings were dropping to an amount that nearly had her hyperventilating. She _had_ to bring money into the household, into the Dragonfly. Sookie was wrapped up with Davey, and Jackson had just purchased a large amount of farm equipment for expanding. She couldn't go to them for more money. Michel was working at his hotel job, hanging on until the Dragonfly opened.

Neither Sookie nor Michel knew that Tom had quietly approached her just after the new year and pointed out that Lorelai had skipped a couple of payments to his crew. That was because the Avery stove, the sink, and other large-ticket items had come in much higher than expected. 2004 had brought a sharp increase in shipping costs, and the customs they had to pay on the Avery nearly gave Lorelai a heart attack. On the decorating side, Natalie was chewing through the budget like the money would disappear if it wasn't spent quickly. She had tried going to the bank again just after the new year, but the previous inquiries made her already laughable credit score even more pitiful.

She needed to tell Sookie and Michel what was going on, but she could already see the look on Sookie's face if they had to cancel the Avery. This inn was their dream, and Lorelai would do whatever it took to see it happen.

This job from the Cartersons, this particular check, would be enough to finish paying for the big-ticket items, which would free up the renovation budget for a payment to Tom's crew. Then she would figure out a way to fire Natalie without freaking Sookie out. It would save a lot of money. She had an appointment in Hartford with the parents of one of Rory's former high school classmates to plan their anniversary party. It would be enough for her mortgage and to try to resuscitate her savings.

Lorelai jolted at the knock on her window, realizing her cheek was pressed into the steering wheel. Her temple throbbed in time to the knocking, and the window was so dirty she could barely make out the figure standing next to the door.

"Is everything all right, doll?" Babette asked as Lorelai got out of the car and rubbed at her cheek.

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"You were in there for a good 20 minutes. Morey was getting worried, but I said the car wasn't on, so you weren't getting carbon monoxide poisoning."

"It's sweet for you to worry, Babette." Lorelai looked up at the house, at the darkened windows, suddenly remembering that Luke was working late and closing the diner. Her stomach growled in protest, but she couldn't summon the energy to get back in the car and drive to where the food, the coffee, and her man were. Hell, even the thought of walking the few blocks to the center of town made her want to cry.

"Have you been getting enough sleep? Getting that inn together's running you ragged."

"I'm sleeping fine. Don't worry, everything is good." Lorelai pasted on her brightest smile and headed around to the back door. She let herself into the kitchen and immediately felt the sharp sting of tiny claws on her legs.

"Aww, am I today's proverbial sacrifice to the kitten gods?" She scooped up Buddy Holly before he could climb his way up her hose and absently scratched his tiny head. They had been able to wean him off the milk replacement, and he inhaled kitten food like there was no tomorrow. Rory had strung a bell on a tiny collar so they could hear Buddy Holly approach, and the highlight of Christmas had been the moment she put it on him. The kitten had rolled frantically around the living room trying to get rid of it, causing them all to laugh so hard for so long that it had drawn Babette over from her house.

The kitten gnawed her knuckle as she tossed her purse on the table, set her laptop next to it, then walked into the living room. She flopped down on the couch as the kitten circled her abdomen, then plopped down into a tiny, purring ball. Lorelai absently stroked him as the purrs lulled her to sleep.

She woke when she felt fingers running through her hair, lightly massaging her scalp. She arched into the touch instinctively, moaning a bit. She took a deep breath and smelled fry grease and coffee. Her stomach growled again, reminding her that she never did hunt down dinner.

"What time is it?" Lorelai murmured.

"Around 10. I brought some food home with me. You haven't eaten." Through bleary eyes, she saw Luke frowning at her.

"Had the biggest ice cream sundae in the state for dinner." Her stomach growled again, proving her a liar. "Shut up," she informed it.

"You look exhausted."

"Just a long day." Lorelai looked at the sleeping kitten on her stomach. "I don't want to disturb him."

Luke gently lifted the kitten off her, and she swung her feet off the couch. "I'll go change. Thanks for bringing home dinner, babe."

He absently scratched the top of the kitten's head, which made him purr ecstatically. "Are you sure you're OK?"

Lorelai shot him the same smile that she'd given Babette earlier. "Yeah! Never better!"

She kept up the false cheer until she reached their bedroom. She stripped off her work clothes, letting them fall to the floor as she stumbled into the bathroom. She went through her nightly rituals and went back out to scoop up her clothes. She sat on the bed with them and yawned. It would take Luke a few more minutes to warm up their food, she rationalized, laying her head on her pillow. She snuggled into the armload of clothes. Just 10 minutes, then she'd go eat. And Rory. She needed to call Rory, check in with her. Classes were swallowing her kid whole and …

Lorelai didn't wake up until nearly 9 a.m. the next morning.

Somehow, she had made it under the covers. The clothes were gone from her arms, and Buddy Holly was curled at her feet. The spot next to her on the bed was cold, and Lorelai found herself tracing Luke's pillow. Glancing at the clock once more, she dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom. Her Hartford meeting was at 10:30, and she needed to hurry if she wanted to make it, run by the bank, and then head back to the inn for a meeting with the decorator. She tucked her cell phone beneath her chin, her phone calling Rory's as she ran out of the house.

She never saw the note taped to the microwave, food tucked inside waiting for her to eat.

Three hours later, Lorelai swung to the curb near the diner. The meeting with Madeline Lynn's mother and stepfather had gone well, and she even had enough spare time to run by the bakery and the florists to talk over the Carterson party with them. She had just enough time for a quick bite, then be at the inn by 3 to talk with Natalie. Sookie had promised to make this one, and they really needed to finish ordering the kitchen supplies. Rory's phone had gone to voicemail, so she really needed to try her kid again.

Lorelai rushed in the door, waving at Lane. "Hey, where's the king of the joint?"

"Bank run," Lane replied. "Your stool's free."

"Thanks!" She slid onto it. "Cheeseburger and chili fries, please. God, I'm starving."

"Sure, no problem!" Without even asking, Lane grabbed a large mug and poured coffee into it. "You OK? You look tired."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lorelai pulled out her planner and dropped it. Frowning, she slid off the stool to pick it up and noticed her hand shaking violently as she picked it up. "OK," she said slowly, putting the planner on the counter. She reached for the coffee mug. The trembling caused the hot liquid to splash onto her hand, and she jerked it away with a yelp.

Lane turned back from the order window. She blinked. "Lorelai? You look really pale."

"Just haven't eaten today." Lorelai reached for the coffee once more, then decided not to risk ruining her clothes.

"Wait one sec." Lane pushed into the kitchen, then back out. "Here, have a banana."

"Thanks." Not bothering to comment on the fact it was fruit, Lorelai reached for it and immediately dropped it as well. It rolled and landed behind the counter. "Damn it."

"I've got it." Lane scooped it up as the bells jangled behind Lorelai. They rang and rang and didn't stop ringing. Lane was saying something to her as she held out the banana, and then there were two Lanes. Then three. The entire room was full of Lanes, and Lorelai's hands trembled like a wild thing. She heard Lane shouting her name, then someone else yelling her name, and then the room spun violently before going black.

* * *

The last time Lorelai had gotten an intimate acquaintance with the floor of the diner had been trying to hide from her fellow Stars Hollow residents before painting the diner several years earlier. She didn't remember it being quite so hard. Or so shouty. She could hear voices, and as her senses snapped back into place, she started to pick them out. Lane was frantically talking, and she heard Rory's name being mentioned. Crap, she needed to check in with Rory. Kirk was insisting he was a fully licensed EMT and could easily handle things. She heard Luke's voice in her ear yelling at him, which was ridiculous considering he wasn't even in the diner in the first place.

"She's comin' around," Babette said somewhere near her right arm.

Lorelai blinked open her eyes to see Patty and Babette peering anxiously down at her.

"How are you, dear?" Patty asked. "You took quite a tumble off the stool."

"I did?" She tried to sit up, but then something held her down. Craning her neck, she saw Luke glaring down at her, looking about five seconds away from losing his temper.

"Don't move," he barked.

"When did you get here?" she whispered.

"Right around the time you fell off the stool." He stood, scooping her into his arms over her feeble protests. "Lane, I'm taking her upstairs."

"Aren't you going to the hospital?" Lane stood by the phone, hand covering the receiver.

"No, I know exactly what's wrong with her." The anger in Luke's voice was nearly a living thing and it twisted Lorelai's gut into painful knots.

She closed her eyes as they went up the stairs and he threw open the door to his old apartment. Boxes were stacked in one corner from where Lane was planning to move in over the weekend. He carried her over to the bed they had picked out together just five months earlier and gently set her down before turning on his heel and marching out.

Lorelai struggled to sit up as Luke banged back into the room with a plate containing the lunch she had ordered plus the banana. "Stay," he ordered.

"I need to pee," she snapped at him.

"Fine." He put the plate on the table and went to the bed. She struggled but gave in as he carried her to the bathroom.

He set her on the closed toilet seat, and she fumed at him. Whatever stick had crawled up his ass was now affecting her. "I can handle this part on my own," she said in her best Emily Gilmore voice. And it worked, because he simply glared at her and stormed out of the room, slamming the door after him.

The shaking caused it to take twice as long as it normally did, but Lorelai refused to ask for help. She took the time to put her clothes back in order and scooped her hair back into a ponytail with a tie she had stashed in the medicine cabinet before stumbling out of the bathroom. The second she opened the door, she found the much-abused banana shoved into her face, the skin peeled back.

"Eat," Luke ordered.

Lorelai nudged it away. "I don't want that."

"Tough. You're eating it. You're not moving from here until you do."

Lorelai glared at him, then stepped to the side. But she wasn't quick enough, and Luke blocked her path. Another sidestep and he blocked her again.

"This is ridiculous," she snapped and snatched the banana from him. She took a big bite, chewed hastily, and swallowed. It hit her empty stomach, which seized almost painfully. Frowning, she took another bite. Now Luke moved away, and she walked over to the table and pulled the plate of food toward her.

"Why are you so pissed?" Lorelai asked between bites of fries.

"It might just be the fact that you fainted in the middle of the diner because you haven't eaten in god knows when. When was the last time you had anything to eat, Lorelai?"

She chewed more thoughtfully. She had slept through dinner, had back-to-back meetings in the morning and early afternoon and just barely enough time to grab coffee. She had vague memories of eating a bowl of cereal while crunching numbers on Sadie during breakfast yesterday and realized abruptly that was when she had last eaten.

Luke sighed, and some of the anger seemed to drain away. "You scared the hell out of me."

Guilt pricked at her now that her initial hunger had been sated. Lorelai picked at her fries. "I'm sorry. Just been busy."

He stared at her for so long that the knot in Lorelai's gut gave an extra good twist. "You haven't been out at the inn," he blurted.

Lorelai's head snapped up so fast that she was surprised that she didn't injure herself in the process. "What?"

"Tom called me a few times, had me come out and sign for some of the stuff being delivered. You told me that you would be at the inn, but you weren't there. Where have you been?" Luke folded his arms over his chest. Folding into himself. It was never a good move.

"Meetings. Hartford, Waterbury, Litchfield. Feels like I'm running over the damn state. It's all inn business. It's fine." Lorelai mustered a smile for him and her stomach pitched. She really didn't want to re-enact the Legend of Lard-Ass in front of him.

Luke studied her face so intensely that she nearly squirmed. "Why are you lying to me?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm not lying!" She really wasn't. The side jobs _were_ for the inn.

Luke stared at her another ten loaded seconds before turning his back on her. She winced as the door slammed after him as he left the apartment.

Lorelai took another 20 minutes to finish her fries. She really didn't feel like facing Luke nor the crowd of townies in the diner yet. She needed to tell him. She needed to tell him, to tell Sookie, to tell Michel. But she couldn't. She didn't want them to worry about the inn.

She could handle it. She was almost there. Just a few more jobs, and things would be back on track. No one ever needed to know. She could fix things with Luke. He would stew, she would flirt, and he would forget it. Hopefully. Comforting herself with that lie, Lorelai tackled on the now-cold burger.

She had just finished it when Rory rushed in. "Oh god, Mom, are you OK?"

"Hey, kid! You didn't need to rush up from Yale!" Lorelai started to stand, but found herself thrown back in the chair from the force of Rory's hug.

Rory pulled back, studying her anxiously. "Lane calls and tells me my mom has passed out in the middle of the diner, I'm going to come up from Yale."

"Just low blood sugar. See?" Lorelai motioned to the plate. "You can tell Grumpy downstairs that I cleaned my plate."

Rory worried her lip, then nodded. Satisfied, she took one of the empty seats. "Is everything OK between you two?"

"Yeah, never better," Lorelai lied through her teeth.

And Rory knew right away. She narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah!" Lorelai glanced down at her watch and flinched. "Oh shoot, I'm supposed to meet Sookie at the inn in 15 minutes. Wanna come out with me?"

"Sure. But I'm driving."

* * *

They escaped through the back of the diner, not because Lorelai was avoiding Luke. She wasn't, she repeatedly told herself. She just didn't have the time to answer all the well-meaning and concerned questions from her neighbors and friends. She loved Stars Hollow dearly, but her schedule was just a little too full to stop for chatting at the moment.

They had just reached Rory's car when Lorelai's cell phone rang. She winced and answered without checking the readout, ready to apologize profusely to Sookie.

"Well, guess who's demanding we all make an appearance at lunch?"

"Hi, Mom." If she had been in her own car, Lorelai would had laid her head on the steering wheel once more. The last thing she needed today was to deal with her mother.

"Your grandmother is coming back from Palm Beach."

"She wasn't there very long." Lorelai looked out at the grey skies of mid-January as Rory drove. If she remembered right, Trix had left the day after Christmas and had planned to spend until March in Florida.

"Your father has to run over to her house to open it up for her, and then she will be coming over here for the evening to berate me and tell me that my couch has some sort of smell."

"Yay, fun!" Lorelai infused her voice with extra cheer and wondered why the hell her mother was getting her involved. She was betting on revenge for the whole botched family photo at Christmas. There had yet to be a Friday night dinner since the whole debacle, and really it was about time for the next season of Gilmore Wrestlemania.

"She wants to have lunch - sorry, a luncheon - the day after tomorrow. You, me, and your father. Apparently, she wants to talk to you about the inn. Be here and be on time, and get your hair cut. You looked like the bird lady from Mary Poppins the last time I saw you."

Hair cuts had fallen to the bottom of her priority list. Along with eating. And almost everything else in her life. "Look, Mom, I've been very busy lately," Lorelai huffed. "Just take a number." She could deal with her mother after dealing with Luke and with Sookie and Michel.

"I don't care how busy you've been, Lorelai. If your hair looks a mess, it will be my fault, and I don't need that responsibility right now. I'll see you at noon."

The call disconnected, and Lorelai found herself staring at the phone.

"Is my hair really a mess?" she asked Rory.

"It's been in better shape," she acknowledged.

"Oh God." Lorelai dragged a hand through the locks. "It's such a mess." Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. "Everything's such a mess, Rory."


End file.
